Kiszla: 32 Broncos refuse to stick to sports and defy Trump during national anthem protest By Mark Kiszla Denver Post September 25, 2017 Let’s get this straight from the jump: The Broncos won’t fire nearly three dozen players who took a knee in protest during the national anthem, no matter how much President Donald Trump stomps his feet and whines like a petulant child. Stick to sports? It was impossible Sunday, when a bigger story than Denver’s 26-16 loss to Buffalo was how 32 Broncos — including Von Miller, Demaryius Thomas and Brandon Marshall — defied the president with a powerful display of unity during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “What did you expect?” Broncos president Joe Ellis said. “A lot of people go to NFL games to get away from politics and the discourse, but when it gets inflamed the way it did (by the president), I understand why it happened.” Trump picked a fight with NFL players, and it only steeled the Broncos’ resolve to protest. “Times 32,” Ellis said. In the minutes immediately after a disheartening loss that knocked Denver from the ranks of the undefeated, Ellis stood outside the visitors’ locker room, his back forced against a wall as an ambulance dismissed from emergency duty rolled slowly up the tunnel. Ellis had a flight to catch. But he stopped to talk with me about how the U.S. president had offended the Broncos with a profane tirade. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say: ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired,’ ” Trump declared Friday night, during a speech in Huntsville, Ala. I don’t know about you. But I find opening a conversation by calling somebody a SOB generally fails to establish common ground for problem solving. “It was disappointing. … It was divisive,” said Ellis, who issued a formal statement of support for the Broncos on Saturday. “I felt like we had to stick up for our players. I’m really proud of our players and everything they do. They’re a great bunch of guys. They’re not dividers, they’re uniters.” Had Ellis chosen to side with Trump and fired players on the spot, the Broncos would not have been able to field a competitive team in Buffalo and probably would have been forced to forfeit the game. This is the NFL, Mr. President, not some half-baked reality television show. Trump exhorted fans to walk out of NFL stadiums in response to anthem protests. As Broncos and Bills alike knelt, if any spectators headed for the exits of New Era Field, I didn’t see them. But Barbara Marshall, the mother of Denver’s inside linebacker, posted two photos on social media of her son and teammates protesting and saluted their courage.

She is a proud mother who raised her son to follow his heart and act. That’s America. Barbara Marshall’s son conducts himself with dignity and treats dissenting views with respect. Doesn’t everybody who loves the United States wish we could say the same about Mr. Trump? “Wow. He would say somebody should be fired for exercising their First Amendment rights that’s part of the Constitution. Why should somebody be fired or taken off the field because of it? It’s utterly ridiculous,” Marshall said. In a team meeting on game’s eve, the Broncos were deeply disturbed Trump described disobedient NFL players in harsher terms than neo-Nazis who recently instigated a tragic riot in Virginia. “I felt like we all took it personally,” Marshall said. “Even the guys that haven’t kneeled before, and didn’t even really think about kneeling before, took it personal. And they wanted to demonstrate as well.” What qualifies as acting presidential in 2017? Ellis should know. He’s proudly related to two former U.S. presidents, as a nephew of George H.W. Bush and a cousin of George W. Bush. “I think there’s a certain dignity and integrity that people should have in that office,” Ellis said. “And I’ll leave it at that.” Broncos defensive lineman Derek Wolfe stood proudly at attention for the anthem. And I respect him for the strength to show his love of country when the majority of teammates took a knee. I understand the social issues that caused Marshall to be among the first NFL players to protest a year ago. I also totally get how many military veterans and upstanding citizens take great offense at what’s perceived as disrespect for the flag. But isn’t a democracy based on civil debate? On an afternoon when Miller was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct at a critical juncture of the fourth quarter for extending a hand to fallen Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor only to pull it away, the one person the Broncos seriously clowned was the president of the United States. Trump tried to bully NFL players into standing. It backfired. If America watches football to escape politics, then why did Trump find it necessary to turn sports into another way to splinter an already angry, divided country? When the president sticks his nose into sports, it guarantees athletes won’t stick to sports.

Von Miller among 32 Broncos players who take a knee for national anthem By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post September 25, 2017 Broncos head coach Vance Joseph broached the subject directly and succinctly during the team’s Saturday night meeting. He told his players he supported them. He encouraged them to stick together and emphasized a focus on the game ahead, against Buffalo. And however they wished to address the matter after the game, he told them, he would have their backs. Thirty-two Broncos players took a knee during the national anthem Sunday before their loss to the Bills. Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall, who knelt for seven games in protest last season, was a sounding board for many them, as teammates sought his opinion and informed him of their decision. Then, just before kickoff, Marshall told his coach of the plan: Players were going to take a knee as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s comments calling out NFL players who protested. “The fact that he would say that someone should be fired for exercising their first-amendment right — it’s part of the constitution, so why should someone be fired or taken off the field because of it,” Marshall said. “It’s utterly ridiculous and obviously we all focused on the game, but we decided to just do a demonstration. We came up short in the game, but that had nothing to do with it.” Star outside linebacker Von Miller joined the Broncos’ demonstration, and knelt alongside Marshall, with their arms locked for a show of unity. “Me and my teammates, we felt like President Trump’s speech was an assault on our most cherished right, freedom of speech,” Miller said. “And collectively, we felt like we had to do something for this game. If not any other game — not in the past, not in the future — at this moment in time, we felt like as a team that we had to do something. We couldn’t just let things go. “I have a huge respect for the military and our protective services. I’ve been to Afghanistan. I’ve met real-life superheroes. It wasn’t any disrespect to them. It was for my brothers that had been attacked for things that they do during the game. I felt like I had to join them. “I felt like it was an attack on the National Football League as well. You know, he went on and talked about ratings. This is my life, and I love everything about the National Football League. … I try to keep out any politics or social issues and just try to play ball. But I feel like it was an attack on us.” Defensive end Adam Gotsis, who is white, joined them too. Kicker Brandon McManus placed his hand on the shoulder of guard Max Garcia, who knelt. And rookie tackle Garett Bolles did the same with Miller kneeling next to him. “I love this country. I love the men and women that fight for this country,” Bolles said. “But I don’t stand up for inequality. I don’t support that at all. I support my teammates in their decision, and that’s what it

is. So whatever they do, I’m going to respect them and I’m going to support them, but I’m going to stand up for this country because that’s what I believe in.” Outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett and tight end Virgil Green, whose father served in the military, both stood with their fists raised in the air. Quarterback Trevor Siemian stood, too, and said after the game that he supported his teammates who took a knee “110 percent.” “They know that I have their back, and they have every right to do what their doing and I support those guys,” he said. “I’ve said it before, it’s a special group and so many of those guys are positive agents for change in the community. You see them everywhere and it is an honor to be their teammate.” There were a few boos from the crowd at New Era Field, but the stadium of with navy blue and a bit of orange remained so for the game’s entirety. In the 48 hours since Trump called on NFL owners to fire “son of a bitch” national anthem protesters, then doubled down on his stance via social media, league executives, team owners, coaches and players responded with strong comments in support of their game and their athletes. Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis released a statement Saturday night to reiterate the team’s backing of its players and “admiration for their dedication to making our team the absolute best it can be.” General manager John Elway spoke to Joseph on Saturday and was involved in the team’s handling of the matter internally. Buffalo Bills players, along with coaches, staff and ownership, also convened Saturday for an open discussion. Like the Broncos, many Bills players took a knee, with their arms locked. Some stood with their hand over their heart. Some raised their fists. Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander took a knee and said Trump’s comments bordered on racism. “For me, the backdrop being Charlottesville and calling Neo-Nazi’s and KKK members ‘fine people,’ ” Alexander said. “Then making the comparison and drawing a hard line versus NFL players doing something peaceful. That really touched me because the guys that are taking the knee are trying to bring social awareness to the injustice and inequalities in this country. That doesn’t mean that they’re not patriots or they don’t love their country, because we do.” Over the past year, as many have taken Colin Kaepernick’s lead and knelt for the national anthem in protest of social injustice and police brutality, not all players across NFL locker rooms have agreed with the protests. Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe was among those who stood for the anthem Sunday. He’s made it clear he believes in standing out of respect for service men and women. But he’s also offered his support to teammates who decided to protest. “All the violence and all the protests that are going on, I feel like people really need to just sit down and listen to each other,” Wolfe said. “Just listen to what each other has to say and then maybe we can

come up with a plan to make everybody happy. But that’s probably not going to happen. Because it’s impossible to make everybody happy. In regards to Trump, Wolfe said the president’s comments didn’t surprise him. “I expected him to be doing stuff like that,” said Wolfe, who has expressed his support of Trump. “I thought he was going to be a great leader. I thought he was going to be able to put people in place to do their job right and get things done. I thought that was the problem with the leadership of the country, that we weren’t putting the people in the right places to get the jobs done that needed to be done. And I thought they were going to give me a little tax break. That’s not happening. I’m really disappointed by the way he’s been acting. That’s just the way it is. I was disappointed with the way Obama had been acting. You’re going to be disappointed with the president. That’s just the way it is.”

Broncos felled by penalties, turnovers on the road in loss to Bills By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post September 25, 2017 They were told it was a trap game. That after impressive victories at home, against the Los Angeles Chargers and then the Dallas Cowboys, that they would have a tough time at Buffalo, which had been unimpressive. The Broncos did. The same Denver team that contained Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and shut down Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was felled by costly turnovers and penalties in a 26-16 loss Sunday. Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian completed 24-of-40 passes for 259 yards but was sacked three times and had two second-half interceptions that Buffalo capitalized on, along with Denver penalties, to pull away. “We talked about, to win a road game, you’ve got to be great in the red zone, great with the turnovers and great on third down, and those things we didn’t do,” Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said. “Their last drive, they converted I think three or four great third downs. We had two turnovers on offense. We didn’t play the critical parts of the game well today, so we didn’t win the football game, bottom line.” The Broncos’ defense came out swinging with a pair of first-quarter sacks, one by Von Miller and another by fellow linebacker Brandon Marshall, and yielded only 10 net yards. But Denver’s defense struggled to clean up the offense’s myriad miscues the rest of the day. Joseph said he saw what he expected all along. He expected a stout defensive seven, and the Bills showed one. He expected running back LeSean McCoy to get his yards, and he did — 21 rushing and 48 receiving. He expected quarterback Tyrod Taylor to be able to make plays with his arm and his feet. He did: 231 yards passing, two touchdowns and 13 yards rushing. Denver could not keep pace, hurt badly by going 1-of-3 in the red zone and its flurry of mistakes. “You’ve got to come out and play your game,” said Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who had six catches for 98 yards. “You have to come out and be your best every week. And I don’t think we were the better team today, and that’s why they got the win.” The Broncos got on the board first when Siemian engineered a 12-play, 53-yard drive that was aided by a pair of defensive pass interference calls and capped by a 38-yard field goal by Brandon McManus. BOX SCORE: Bills 26, Broncos 16 Buffalo responded with a nine-yard touchdown catch by Andre Holmes, but a string of defensive penalties by the Bills helped Denver quickly reclaim the lead. A 32-yard run by running back C.J.

Anderson was extended 15 yards because of an unnecessary roughness penalty by Bills safety Micah Hyde, and an incomplete pass by Siemian was given a do-over after a roughing-the-passer penalty by defensive end Jerry Hughes. On the next play, running back Jamaal Charles waltzed into the end zone for a 12-yard score — his first as a Bronco. But flags that held back the Bills early began doing the same to the Broncos. There was an illegal formation penalty on a Broncos punt that cost them 37 yards of field position in the second quarter, which led to a 49-yard field goal by Steven Haushka, which made it 10-10. The Broncos’ defense was gashed late in the second quarter as it allowed Buffalo to cover 38 yards in 41 seconds to set up Hauschka’s 55-yard, game-tying field goal, making it 13-13 at the half. In the third quarter, Taylor came alive and picked up 56 yards on a pair of deep passes, then found tight end Charles Clay in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown, making it 20-16. Field position killed the Broncos. So did penalties. So did critical turnovers and questionable decisions. A fake Broncos punt at the end of the third quarter — running back De’Angelo Henderson was tackled for a gain of 1 yard when he needed two — set up the Bills at Denver’s 31. Hauschka hit a 53-yard field goal to extend the Bills’ lead to 23-16. “It’s a call from the sideline, and if we have the look we want, we run it. A look was there,” Joseph said. “We had a late sub on the field so we kind of gave them time to adjust. It didn’t work, but in my opinion, it was the perfect timing, it was a good call, and the look was there. We had our offensive line versus their punt return team, which is big skilled players and it was fourth-and-2 so we took a chance.” The mistakes continued to game’s end. Thomas was flagged on a pick play, and then Buffalo’s Adolphus Washington was penalized for illegal hands to the face on a third down, giving Denver a golden opportunity to bounce back. But Siemian, on a pass intended for Bennie Fowler, threw his second interception of day on a first down at Buffalo’s 24-yard line. “I thought he was going in and he was going out,” Siemian said of Fowler. “But, again, I’m responsible for every ball that goes in the air. Can’t do that back there. Can’t turn it over anywhere when we’re backed up like that. You can’t do that.” The final dagger: Miller being flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on a Bills third-and-6 when he extended his hand to help up Taylor after a hit, then quickly pulled it back. The play gave Buffalo 15 yards and a first down as it marched down field for a late field goal that sealed the win. The questionable call was the lone blemish for Miller, who was a one-man wrecking crew with six total pressures (one sack, hit quarterback hit, four hurries) on only 28 pass rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. “I can’t put my team in situations like that,” Miller said. “I’ve brought us home 50 million times. I’ve closed games 50 million times. I got to be smarter than that. I’m always on the rookies and the all the

young guys about being smart and doing this and doing that, and I go out there and do something like that, in a crucial situation in a game. I’ve just got to be better than that. “One thing about it, I’m always able to bounce back. I always learn from my mistakes. I just can’t kill us — I killed the game today.” The Broncos got trapped. Or maybe, on this day, they just weren’t the better team.

Jamaal Charles finds end zone in breakout performance for Broncos By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post September 25, 2017 If there was a bright spot in the Broncos’ 26-16 loss to the Bills on Sunday, it was the performance of Jamaal Charles. The Broncos signed the veteran running back back in May with the hope he would recover from multiple knee surgeries and become a spark plug in the team’s retooled backfield. Against the Bills, Charles proved he still has it with nine carries, a game-high 56 yards rushing and a 12-yard rushing touchdown — his first as a Bronco. It was the 65th touchdown of Charles’ career, putting him in a tie with Cowboys tight end Jason Witten for 11th-most among active NFL players. “We ran the ball fine in my opinion,” said Denver coach Vance Joseph. “Again, third downs, red zone and two turnovers kind of killed our ride.” Miller still a force. Linebacker Von Miller had one of Denver’s four sacks and moved within two of Karl Mecklenburg on the team’s all-time list with 76.5. Including playoff games, Miller’s 83 sacks are the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2011. According to Pro Football Focus, Miller also had one quarterback hit and four hurries for a total of six pressures on only 28 pass-rush snaps. He had two stops in the run game, as well. But his strong performance Sunday was capped with a questionable call. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he seemed to offer to help Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor get up after a hit but pulled his hand back. “I’ve got to be smarter than that,” Miller said “I’m always on the rookies and all the young guys about being smart and doing this and doing that, and then I go out there and do something like that in crucial situation in the game.” Bolles plays. A week after suffering a lower-leg bruise and being carted off the field, rookie offensive tackle Garett Bolles was active against Buffalo. As was wide receiver Bennie Fowler, who suffered a concussion a week ago and was cleared from the protocol Saturday. Bolles didn’t attend practice last Wednesday but returned on a limited basis to practice Thursday and was initially listed as questionable to play in Sunday’s game. Footnotes. Denver’s game captain was wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. … The Broncos have led after the first quarter in all three games this season. … Brandon McManus improved to 82-of-98 (83.7 percent) in field goals as a Broncos kicker. It’s the best percentage in team history.

Broncos report card and game balls from Week 3 against the Bills By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post September 25, 2017 Offense: D The Broncos took the lead in the first quarter Sunday, but two interceptions by quarterback Trevor Siemian doomed their chances of regaining it in the fourth quarter. A big letdown after their performance a week ago. Defense: B The Broncos held Buffalo to 10 total yards in the first quarter and racked up four sacks of quarterback Tyrod Taylor. But they were gashed in the second half — and Von Miller’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was the dagger that kept Buffalo’s win-clinching drive alive. Special teams: C Brandon McManus nailed all three of his field-goal attempts. But a failed fake punt by Denver in the third quarter put the Bills in position for their third field goal of the game to extend their lead to 23-16. Coaching: C Denver’s defense held its own through the first half, but the telegraphed fake punt and struggles in the red zone and on third downs reflected on the coaching. Game balls Shelby Harris: His sack in the fourth quarter stalled a Buffalo drive that could have ended with a score after Trevor Siemian’s second interception. Jamaal Charles: The veteran tailback scored his first touchdown as a Bronco and led the team with 56 yards rushing on nine carries. Brandon McManus: He was perfect on field goals — 38, 35 and 28 yards — on a day when there were few bright spots for the Broncos.

Broncos’ Garett Bolles, Bennie Fowler active vs. Buffalo Bills By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post September 25, 2017 Garett Bolles is back. A week after suffering a lower-leg bruise and being carted off the field, the Broncos’ rookie left tackle is active against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. As is receiver Bennie Fowler, who suffered a concussion and was cleared from the protocol Sunday evening. Bolles did not attend practice last Wednesday, but returned on a limited basis Thursday and was initially listed as questionable to play in Sunday’s game. The Broncos’ seven inactives are running back Devontae Booker, who is still working his way back from wrist surgery; veteran defensive lineman and recent free-agent signing Ahtyba Rubin; quarterback Paxton Lynch (shoulder); cornerback Brendan Langley (knee); receiver Jordan Taylor, offensive lineman Billy Turner and defensive lineman Kyle Peko.

Broncos wilt to Bills in 26-16 loss By Mike Klis 9 News September 25, 2017 It may not have been a trap game. But it sure was a lousy game for the Denver Broncos. Two second-half interceptions thrown by Broncos' quarterback Trevor Siemian, one that killed a potential, game-tying drive. A fake punt on the wrong side of the 50 that was botched from the special teams sideline huddle and served as a third turnover. An bizarre unsportsmanlike penalty against Broncos' star pass rusher Von Miller whose silly prank wasn't deemed funny by an over-officious referee, and thereby terminated one final chance to catch up. "I can’t put my team in situations like that,'' Miller said. "I’ve got to be smarter than that. I’m always on the rookies and all the young guys for being smart and doing this and doing that. Then I go out there and do something like that, in a crucial situation in the game, I’ve just got to be better than that. "It hits you in the stomach. I haven’t been in situations since my rookie season. One thing about it, I’m always, regardless, I always learn from my mistakes, I just can’t kill us. I killed the game today with that penalty. I’ve just got to be better than that, and I will be better than that.'' On a rare, hot, humid, late-September home game for the Buffalo Bills, the Broncos’ offense wilted in the red zone and ball protection and suffered its first loss of the season, 26-16 before a near capacity crowd at New Era Field. "They forced turnovers and we didn’t force any,'' said Broncos' cornerback Chris Harris Jr. "We just didn’t execute,'' said running back C.J. Anderson, who had one 32-yard run, but otherwise finished with 36 yards on only 8 carries. "Third downs. The red zone. We didn’t play in front of the sticks like we usually do. Lot of penalties. Just wasn’t us. Wasn’t our brand of football today.’’ Siemian was getting better as an NFL starting quarterback through the first two games and half of a third, but he may have gained a little too much confidence before throwing his two, second-half picks. On the first, he was scrambling left from near his own end zone when he zipped a pass down field that went inside of Bennie Fowler III as the receiver moved outside. "Yeah, I thought he was going in and he ended up going out,'' Siemian said. "I’m responsible. Every ball that goes in the air, I’m responsible for. Can’t do that back there. Can’t turn it over anywhere back there.'' The second pick was Siemian's worst throw of the young season. The Broncos were down, 23-16 but had the ball first-and-10 at the Bill's 24 with about 11 minutes left the game. Siemian was under duress and he appeared to be throwing the ball away down the right sideline. Only he didn't get enough on his throw. The ball hung, then descended like a deflated ball as it was intercepted by rookie cornerback Tre'Davious White.

Those were the type of throws where Siemian might have gone a little outside his skin. Ergo, he's an efficient game-managing quarterback, but he's not a gunslinger. "Again, the turnovers hurt,'' he said. "You kind of screwed your defense there so I’d like to do those back. Our defense bailed us out plenty of times. We just didn’t get it done.'' Siemian played well in the first half, but wound up completing 24 of 40 for 259 yards and the two interceptions for a 58.2 passer rating. The Denver defense, meanwhile, struggled to contain Bills’ athletic quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who completed 20 of 26 for 213 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions for a 126.0 passer rating. "He’s definitely one of the hardest quarterbacks to take out,'' Miller said. "Obviously I knew this going into the game. He’s a great quarterback, he’s one that lifts up his other teammates. If they’re eighties, when Tyrod jukes the ball they’re nineties, they’re ninety-fives. He really knows how to boost his teammates. He’s a great quarterback. He went out and he played great today.'' The Broncos might have had a chance to come back late in the game, but there was that strange unsportsmanlike penalty against Miller that allowed the Bills to keep the ball and score what turned out to be a game-clinching field goal for a 10-point lead. The Broncos had stopped the Bills on third down near midfield when Miller was going to help up Taylor. But after extending his hand, Miller pulled it back as a prank. Referee Carl Cheffers didn’t think it was funny and flagged Miller, apparently for taunting. "I just wasn't thinking,'' Miller said. But come on, ref. It was just Von being Von. Taylor was laughing when Miller pulled his hand back. "I was shocked, but that’s just where we are (in the league),'' Miller said. "I can’t do stuff like that, especially after a hit on the quarterback. I just can’t. I’ve got to be a better sportsman, and I just can’t put our team in a situation like that.'' The loss dropped the Broncos to 2-1 while the underdog Bills improved to 2-1. “We definitely came to play,'' said Broncos' linebacker Todd Davis, who tied fellow inside linebacker Brandon Marshall with a team-high 10 tackles. "We didn’t take them lightly at all. We came out fighting. It just wasn’t enough today.’’ Once players from both the Broncos and Buffalo Bills let President Trump know they are free to, like or not, disagree with the President, it was time to play football. The Broncos and Bills were tied, 13-13, at halftime. Multiple players on both sides kneeled during the National Anthem as a demonstration of protest against Trump’s remarks Friday during a rally in Alabama.

"We decided to take a knee, it didn’t have anything to do with what the flag meant to me, it had absolutely nothing to do with that,'' said Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders. "It’s the fact that our President is sitting up there saying words that he shouldn’t be using and calling guys’ words that he shouldn’t be using because you’re the leader of the United States, that’s just not right. I decided to take a knee on that … He shouldn’t be treating guys like that if you’re standing up for a cause that they believe in. "It was just unbelievable how he went about addressing people. It’s pretty sad … I stood up for him, I’ve given him a chance and every single thing they say, he’s proven right so far. Like I said, at the end of that, I just said I’m highly disappointed. It’s pretty sad that we have a President like that.'' Not every player took a knee. Broncos' left tackle Garett Bolles stood while placing his hand on the kneeling Miller's shoulder. “I love our country. I love the men and women who fight for our country,'' Bolles said. "I don’t stand up for inequality. I don’t support that at all. I support my teammates and their feelngs so whatever they do I’m going to respect them, I’m going to support them. But I’m going to stand up for this country. That’s what I believe in. I’m a loving person. I believe it doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do, or what color you are, it don’t matter. We’re all a family and that’s what we need to be.’’ Both sides then put the potential distraction behind them and played a competitive first half. The first quarter went pretty much as expected with the Broncos taking a 3-0 lead against a bend-but-don’t-break Bills’ defense while Buffalo’s offense was shut down by the Denver D. Brandon McManus’ 38-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in the quarter accounted for the only scoring. The Bills had zero first downs and just 10 total yards in the quarter. Changing ends at the break seemed to ignite both offenses. On the first possession of the second quarter,Taylor had two, 28-yard pass completions to set up a touchdown drive. The first was on a short crossing pattern to a wide-open Jordan Matthews. The second occurred while Taylor was hit by Broncos’ outside linebacker Shaq Barrett. Taylor got enough of the throw down to Kaelin Clay, who was sitting in a soft part of the Broncos’ zone. The Bills finished the drive when a deflected pass in the end zone wound up in the arms of receiver Andre Holmes for a 2-yard touchdown reception. It was 7-3 Bills but not for long. The Broncos answered on their next drive thanks to the strong rushing of Anderson and Jamaal Charles between two unnecessary roughness penalties against the Bills’ defense. Anderson broke out for a 32-yard run and as he was well out of bounds, he got shoved down by White. The run and tack-on penalty put the ball at the Buffalo 25. Then Buffalo’s Jerry Hughes was flagged for roughing Broncos’ quarterback Trevor Siemian on a short pass attempt, setting up first down at the 12. On the next play, Charles scooted in for his first touchdown as a Bronco. It was 10-7 Broncos.

“It felt great to get in the zone,'' said Charles, who should have got the ball more after he rushed for 62 yards on just 9 carries. "I was more excited to go out there and continue to play hard for my teammates.’’ The Bills’ Steve Hauschka tied it, 10-10 with a 49-yard field goal. McManus gave the Broncos another lead, 13-10 with a field goal from 35 yards. And then Hauschka answered in the final seconds with a 55-yard field goal to tie it, 13-13. Siemian played a good first half, completing 15 of 22 for 154 yards. Taylor was 14 of 18 for 139 yards. There were two key plays in the second half. One, was after the Broncos took a 16-13 lead on another McManus field goal, Taylor scrambled left and threw across his body and threw perfectly to tight end Nick o'Leary who kept his feet inbounds for a 31-yard play. Two plays later Taylor connected with Matthews on another crossing route for 25 yards, setting up first and goal at the 6. On the next play, Taylor broke the pocket, extended the play right and looked inside to spot tight end Charles Clay for the touchdown. It turned out to be the winning score. The second key play was Siemian's fourth quarter interception on first down at the Bills' 24. He just didn't get enough on the throw to make it to the sidelines. "He’s trying to make plays, I can’t fault him on that,'' said Broncos head coach Vance Joseph. "We want him to be smart with the ball, he has been smart with the ball, and he’s made those plays before, so I’m not down on that part. We can’t do it, but I get why he took some chances.'' The Broncos return home to play the AFC West rival Oakland Raiders next Sunday.

Broncos tied with Bills, 13-13 at halftime By Mike Klis 9 News September 25, 2017 Once players from both the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills let President Trump know they are free to, like or not, disagree with the President, it was time to play football. The Broncos and Bills were tied, 13-13, at halftime on a sweltering Sunday afternoon in late-September at New Era Field. Multiple players on both sides kneeled during the National Anthem as a demonstration of protest against Trump’s remarks Friday during a rally in Alabama. Both sides then put the potential distraction behind them and played a competitive first half. The first quarter went pretty much as expected with the Broncos taking a 3-0 lead against a bend-but-don’t-break Bills’ defense while Buffalo’s offense was shut down by the Denver D. Brandon McManus’ 38-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in the quarter accounted for the only scoring. The Bills had zero first downs and just 10 total yards in the quarter. Changing ends at the break seemed to ignite both offenses. On the first possession of the second quarter, Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor had two, 28-yard pass completions to set up a touchdown drive. The first was on a short crossing pattern to a wide-open Jordan Matthews. The second occurred while Taylor was hit by Broncos’ outside linebacker Shaq Barrett. Taylor got enough of the throw down to Kaelin Clay, who was sitting in a soft part of the Broncos’ zone. The Bills finished the drive when a deflected pass in the end zone wound up in the arms of receiver Andre Holmes for a 2-yard touchdown reception. It was 7-3 Bills but not for long. The Broncos answered on their next drive thanks to the strong rushing of C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles between two unnecessary roughness penalties against the Bills’ defense. Anderson broke out for a 32-yard run and as he was well out of bounds, he got shoved down by Buffalo rookie cornerback Tre’Davious White. The run and tack-on penalty put the ball at the Buffalo 25. Then Buffalo’s Jerry Hughes was flagged for roughing Broncos’ quarterback Trevor Siemian on a short pass attempt, setting up first down at the 12. On the next play, Charles scooted in for his first touchdown as a Bronco. It was 10-7 Broncos. The Bills’ Steve Hauschka tied it, 10-10 with a 49-yard field goal. McManus gave the Broncos another lead, 13-10 with a field goal from 35 yards. And then Hauschka answered in the final seconds with a 55-yard field goal to tie it, 13-13. Siemian played a good first half, completing 15 of 22 for 154 yards. Taylor was 14 of 18 for 139 yards.

Broncos CEO Joe Ellis states support of players in light of President Trump's comments By Mike Klis 9 News September 25, 2017 Denver Broncos’ chief executive officer Joe Ellis has issued a statement Saturday night supporting his players for taking a stand on social issues in this country in light of President Trump suggesting NFL owners should fire players who disrespect the National Anthem. “Our players have shown a tremendous commitment to raising awareness for important societal issues by using their platform in a positive way,’’ Ellis stated. “In addition to their hard work off the field, we have great admiration for their dedication to making our team the absolute best it can be. They’ve made incredible sacrifices to reach this level, and we recognize they give their all to our team and our fans each and every day. “As an organization, we could not be more proud, appreciative and grateful for our players. We’ll continue to support them and work together to advocate for values of respect, diversity and inclusion.’’ During a political rally in Alabama on Friday, Trump suggested a fan boycott if players don’t stand for the National Anthem. “If you see it, even it’s one player, leave the stadium,’’ Trump said. Ellis did not mention Trump or his remarks in his statement, nor did he single out Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, who was the lone Denver player who followed Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racial inequality last year by kneeling during the National Anthem through the first half of last season. Trump also said at his rally: "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now. Out. He's fired! He's fired!'’’ His comments have incited responses ranging from stunned bafflement to outrage from many NFL players on social media. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and other NFL owners have described Trump’s comments as “divisive.’’

Some Broncos kneel during National Anthem, some stand, some kneel and wonder if worth it By Mike Klis 9 News September 25, 2017 Many players took a knee to protest not social injustice in this country, but President Trump's harsh rhetoric against NFL players who have knelt during the National Anthem in protest of social injustice. The players' protest Sunday was directed at Trump, who at a political rally Friday in Alabama, called such activists "sons of b------'' and said they should be "fired.'' "It’s the fact that our President is sitting up there saying words that he shouldn’t be using and calling guys’ words that he shouldn’t be using because you’re the leader of the United States,'' said Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders. "We felt like President Trump’s speech was an assault on our most cherished right, freedom of speech,'' said pass-rushing linebacker Von Miller. "Collectively, we felt like we had to do something for this game, if not any other game, if not in the past, in the future. At this moment in time, we felt like, as a team, we had to do something. We couldn’t just let things go. I have a huge respect for the military, our protective services and everything. I’ve been to Afghanistan, I’ve met real-life superheroes. It wasn’t any disrespect to them, it was for our brothers that have been attacked for things that they do during the game, and I felt like I had to join them on it.'' Almost as many players, didn't kneel during the National Anthem, choosing to stand as always because they believe the moment was meant to honor the United States military and those who fought to protect our country. “I feel like it’s my duty to stand,'' said Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe. "I wish I could do more. My ideal is we can all have our own opinion and it’s still fine. I’ve talked about this a hundred times. We can have completely different views on life but we’re the best of friends.’’ Others took a knee for the National Anthem, but weren't sure if it was worth it. “With the kneeling, it’s not going to help because nothing we do -- our people have been fighting for years in this country and we’ve been fighting for rights and we still haven’t got it,'' said running back Jamaal Charles. "So all the kneeling is still not going to change nothing.’’ This country is so complicated, it can get confusing. Wolfe backed Trump's overall message that people should stand at attention during the National Anthem, but he no longer backs Trump as he did during last year's presidential campaign. "I thought he was going to be a great leader,'' Wolfe said. "I thought he was going to lead, put people in place to do the job right and get things done. I thought that was the problem with the leadership of this country, we weren’t putting people in the right places to get the jobs done that needed to be done. And I thought they were going to get me a little tax break. That’s not been happening. I’m really

disappointed with the way he’s been acting, that’s just the way it is. I was disappointed with the way Obama was acting. You’re going to be disappointed with the President, that’s just the way it is.’’ Roughly half the Broncos’ players and several staffers took a knee during the playing of the National Anthem here Sunday prior to their game against the Buffalo Bills. Several Bills players kneeled as well.

Earlier Sunday, Jacksonville Jaguars players locked arms during the National Anthem prior to the start of the team's third regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens in London. Several of them kneeled with their arms locked, including Jaguars owner Shahid Khan. Many NFL players around the league made varied forms of demonstrations during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner – the entire Pittsburgh Steelers’ team with the exception of former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva stayed in their locker room -- in protest of President Trump’s strong comments Friday.

The gesture comes less than 7 hours after President Trump tweeted the following about players kneeling during the anthem: @realDonaldTrump If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend! 4:44 AM - Sep 24, 2017 57,424 Replies 40,996 Retweets 160,136 likes @realDonaldTrump ...NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S. 5:13 AM - Sep 24, 2017 62,480 Replies 30,766 Retweets 139,719 likes Trump said fans should leave when they see even one player disrespect the flag. He also called players who make demonstrations “sons of b------,’’ and said NFL owners should fire them for making a demonstration. Broncos’ chief executive officer Joe Ellis issued a statement Saturday night supporting his players for taking a stand on social issues. “Our players have shown a tremendous commitment to raising awareness for important societal issues by using their platform in a positive way,’’ Ellis stated. “In addition to their hard work off the field, we have great admiration for their dedication to making our team the absolute best it can be. They’ve made incredible sacrifices to reach this level, and we recognize they give their all to our team and our fans each and every day.As an organization, we could not be more proud, appreciative and grateful for our players. We’ll continue to support them and work together to advocate for values of respect, diversity and inclusion.”

'Not my team anymore': Broncos fans sound off after protests By Jacob Rodriguez 9 News September 25, 2017 After President Donald Trump called for the firing or suspension of NFL players who knelt for the National Anthem at games, players, coaches and even an owner stood in protest. Many players stood with their arms locked on the sidelines, while others took a knee. A few teams - the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks stayed in their locker rooms during the anthem. The protests came a day after Broncos CEO Joe Ellis voiced his support for players. "Our players have shown a tremendous commitment to raising awareness for important societal issues by using their platform in a positive way,’’ he said in a statement. 9NEWS viewers had quite a lot to say on the subject, often writing several paragraphs as to whether they support or decry the protests. Editor's note: Some comments have been edited for grammar and clarity. In a lengthy comment on our Verify regarding the National Anthem at NFL games, Nancy Allen wrote this: Today, the NFL died to me. I have been a loyal, faithful Denver Broncos fan for nearly 50 years! You turning your back on my flag? The flag that affords you the privilege to play the game you love on a field & earn millions of dollars doing it? I'm turning my back on you & just so you know, I can live without the NFL but the NFL cannot live without me & the millions of white fans that fill those stadiums! Her comments were echoed by many on the 9NEWS Facebook page throughout the day, as players across the NFL knelt - or didn't even leave the locker room - for the National Anthem. Viewers generally sided against the protests, at least on social media. "I loved the Broncos, I am very disappointed in then and the NFL," Tamara Maxwell said. "I am boycotting the NFL for the disrespect to the USA and the men and women that have fought and are fighting now to protect us." "Not my team anymore," Rae Hall said. "My husband served for the flag.” Some were harsher in their criticisms of the team. Jerry McGeorge referred to the players as "Kneeling Donkeys" on a post about the Broncos' loss. "Let's stop going to all the games until they start respecting our country and flag," Karen Williams said. "They are a total embarrassment!!!!"

"Broncos, that's payback for taking a knee!" said Linda Lello after the loss. "What goes around comes around. Lost so much respect for our team and for John Elway." Some viewers took a more measured tone in their thoughts on the matter. "They have a right to kneel," Shawn House said. "The president has a right to speak. We all have a right to not watch anymore. Freedom. It's whats for dinner." "Doesn't matter what side of the fence you are on," Sally Sanders wrote. "This is going to hurt the NFL." Others saw an opportunity to pick up venerable season tickets for the team. "Can't wait to finally get my season tickets when all those saying they will boycott the NFL don't renew next year," wrote Jeff Anderson. One viewer messaged 9NEWS to say they canceled their season tickets via email after the protests. Those who supported protests were quick to point to the fact the players weren't protesting the flag itself. "People don’t get it. These guys aren’t protesting against the anthem, the flag or our country," Ted Maloch wrote. "They are taking an opportunity in a big stage to bring awareness to a problem that exists (don’t say it doesn’t).

Broncos' Trevor Siemian knows where he went wrong in loss to Bills By Jeff Legwold ESPN September 25, 2017 Trevor Siemian learned many football lessons from Peyton Manning, and not just the ones that result in a well-timed audible at a key point in a game. Siemian has always been a highly accountable sort, but he's also heard Manning say that every interception has a story and that nobody wants to hear it. And Siemian, who threw two in the Denver Broncos' 26-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, knows that the reasons won't matter much beyond fixing it. "I can't do that, at home or on the road," Siemian said. "Those two turnovers, obviously, they hurt you. ... The defense bailed us out one time. I felt good about getting points there [on the second one] if I don't turn it over." Siemian had tried to do his part to regulate the fervor around him in the first two weeks of the season. He went into Sunday's game tied for the league lead with six touchdown passes, the Broncos were 2-0, and Siemian was even the halftime interview during Monday Night Football after the Broncos' dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. But in a classic every-week-is-different affair, following two weeks of being in a groove, the Broncos' offense looked out of sorts for much of Sunday's affair, with Siemian near the top of that list. He finished 24-of-40 passing for 259 yards to go with the two interceptions -- his third and fourth of the young season. A key number to note, though, was the 40 attempts. That has been a line where the trouble has begun in Siemian's 17 career starts. Last season, the Broncos were 7-2 in games that Siemian started and attempted fewer than 40 passes, including the contest in Tampa, Florida, where he attempted seven passes before leaving with a shoulder injury. The Broncos won their first two games this season, with Siemian attempting fewer than 40 passes in both. After Sunday's loss, the Broncos are now 1-5 in games Siemian starts and attempts 40 or more passes. Certainly past results don't guarantee future performance, but it's clear if the Broncos want to be their most successful, they have to stay out of obvious passing downs. At one point, Siemian was sacked on back-to-back plays during one second-quarter drive. But, oh, the interceptions. Siemian threw his first late in the third quarter, trailing 20-16. It happened deep in Broncos territory on a second-and-23 situation. Siemian thought Bennie Fowler was going one way, but Fowler went the other and Bills cornerback E.J. Gaines ended up with the ball.

"I thought [Fowler] was going in, he ended up going out, but I'm responsible," Siemian said. "Every ball that goes in the air, I'm responsible for. Can't do that back there, can't turn it over anywhere back there." The Bills had the ball on the Broncos' 32-yard line but ended up losing 13 yards and punted as Denver's defense stepped up. The Broncos weren't so fortunate with the second interception. Trailing 23-16 early in the fourth quarter, the Broncos had a drive going with a first-and-10 at the Bills' 24-yard line. They had snared a little momentum after a Bills penalty saved them on one third down to keep things moving, and Jamaal Charles had just snapped off a 12-yard run. But in trying to escape the Bills' pressure, Siemian rolled out, threw across his body, and that floater was intercepted by Tre'Davious White, blowing the Broncos' best chance to tie in the final quarter. "The turnovers hurt," Siemian said. "You kind of screwed your defense there, so I'd like to have those back. Our defense bailed us out plenty of times." Siemian tried to remind anyone who would listen last week that "it's early" in the wake of the win against the Cowboys. Now he gets another task of a starting quarterback -- trying to rebound after a loss he helped create. "[Siemian] is trying to make plays," Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. "I can't fault him for that. We want him to be smart with the ball -- he has been smart with the ball -- and he's made those plays before, so I'm not down on that part. We can't do it, but I get why he took some chances."

Broncos take big stumble in first road test of season By Jeff Legwold ESPN September 25, 2017 All week Denver Broncos coach Vance Joseph said he didn't believe in trap games. On an unseasonably warm September day -- the temperature at kickoff was in the 80s -- the Broncos stumbled in their first road test of the season in a 26-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills. "It wasn't enough on defense, offense, special teams, period," said cornerback Aqib Talib. "It wasn't enough. ... Nothing different, you just got to make plays and we didn't make enough." The Broncos sport a schedule that is heavily back-loaded with road games. Denver will play seven of its last 11 games on the road, including a stretch of three consecutive away from home. The game in Buffalo was sandwiched between a big win against the Dallas Cowboys and next week's game against the Oakland Raiders, the Broncos' first significant AFC West showdown of the season. Additionally, the Bills' offense had scored just one field a goal the week before in a loss to the Carolina Panthers and were due to rebound. And with the Broncos playing at 11 a.m. Denver time, this game had all the makings of a trap game. That was true even as the Broncos came out strong early and held the Bills to just 10 net yards of offense in the first quarter. But the Broncos never seemed to settle in and never quite managed field position the way they should have. They spent much of the second and third quarters backed up in their end of the field, and when the Bills needed just 41 seconds to put together a field goal drive just before halftime, it was clear that Buffalo was controlling the tempo. "We felt great at halftime. We knew there was some things to do better right then," Talib said. "But we didn't close it out." "Their defense played better than our defense," said cornerback Chris Harris Jr. "We didn't win that battle, simple as that. ... We didn't create turnovers and that was the game. We can't win a road game and not get any turnovers." The Broncos have a long list of things to review. Such as in the third quarter when quarterback Trevor Siemian tossed an interception with the Broncos deep in their own territory and added another interception in the fourth quarter with an across-the-body toss. The Broncos also tried a fake punt deep in their own territory that failed to convert a fourth-and-2, and linebacker Von Miller was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the fourth quarter, when he offered his hand and then pulled it away after he had plowed into Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor. In short, they missed tackles on defense, dropped passes on offense and missed opportunities all around.

"We talked about, being a road game, you've got to be great in the red zone, great with turnovers and on third down," Joseph said. "Those things we didn't do. ... Two turnovers on offense, we didn't play the critical parts of the game well and we didn't win the football game, bottom line." Joseph said earlier in the week calling this a trap game would be "disrespectful" to an opponent. Joseph said the Bills had plenty of talent in the defensive front seven and had potential to run the ball on offense. The Broncos did keep Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy from getting loose -- he had just 16 yards rushing as of the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Bills' defensive front lived up to its billing as a potential headache. There were some bright spots as Jamaal Charles offered a glimpse of what he could bring -- he had 56 yards rushing on his first nine carries, and the defense hung in at times. But the overall effort shouldn't please them much.

Von Miller shoulders blame for Broncos' loss to Bills By Jeff Legwold ESPN September 25, 2017 Von Miller has had plenty of games in which he helped lift the Denver Broncos to a win, but on Sunday he quickly took the Broncos' rather homely 26-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills and put it squarely on his own shoulders. Miller's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty kept a fourth-quarter Bills drive going -- the Broncos would have forced a punt without the penalty -- and 10 plays later, the Bills kicked a field goal that made their seven-point lead a 10-point lead with just more than three minutes remaining in the game. "I can't put my team in situations like that,'' Miller said. "... I've got to be smarter than that. I'm always on the rookies and the young guys about being smart, doing this, doing that. And in a crucial situation in the game -- I've just got to be better than that ... I killed the game today with that play. I've just got to be better than that.'' The Broncos, who trailed 23-16 at the time, had put the Bills into a third-and-5 situation at the Denver 46-yard line. Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor dropped back and was trying to get the ball to wide receiver Jordan Matthews when Miller crashed into the quarterback. Taylor's throw fell incomplete, and the Broncos appeared to have forced a punt in what was still going to be a one-possession game. Miller, who said he and Taylor had been "laughing and joking" all game, then offered Taylor his hand to help him before he quickly pulled it away. As soon as the linebacker pulled his hand away, referee Carl Cheffers threw the flag. "I didn't see it, but how [the officials] explained it to me, I guess Von gave him a hand to help the guy up, and he moved the hand away,'' Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. "He called it, so I guess that's what he thought it was. It's pro football, but he called it.'' The penalty kept the Bills' offense on the field and moved the ball to the Broncos' 31-yard line. The Bills steadily moved the ball to the Broncos' 9-yard line, and from there Steven Hauschka kicked a 27-yard field goal to give the Bills a 10-point lead with just over three minutes left. "I know Tyrod ... I don't even talk to quarterbacks. I don't do anything with quarterbacks,'' Miller said. "But Tyrod, we were laughing and joking the whole game, and on that play I just made a very, very crucial mistake at a vital point in the game ... I've got to be a better sportsman, and I just can't put my team in that situation.'' Taylor confirmed that he and Miller were laughing throughout the game. "Yeah, me and Von came out the same year. Good friends," Taylor said. "We was actually laughing on the field. I don't think he knew. I honestly didn't know at the time it was going to be a flag. Like I said, we

were laughing. But [it] ended up working out in our favor, so just a bad play by him at the time. Pretty sure he wishes he could have that back, but got to move forward." When asked if he was laughing because it was funny or because of the flag, Taylor said, "Both. Both, for sure.'' Miller finished with six tackles and a sack in the game.

More than 32 Broncos form social protest to 'show our unity' By Jeff Legwold ESPN September 25, 2017 Last season Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall took a knee during the national anthem to protest what he felt were social injustices on a local and national level. Marshall took a knee before eight games last season and he did it alone. Sunday, in the wake of President Donald Trump's criticisms of NFL players who have not stood for the anthem, including calling for NFL owners to release the players who protest as well as using an expletive to describe the players, the Broncos made a decision as a group. "It's hard not to take what the president said personally because I'm pretty sure a lot of people took it personally," Marshall said after Sunday's game. "Some of the guys came and talked to me and said they were ready to do it. I felt like we all took it personally." In all, 32 Broncos players took a knee for the anthem before Sunday's game, while tight end Virgil Green and linebacker Shaquil Barrett each stood and raised a fist during the anthem. Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. raised an open hand and several Broncos players who stood for the anthem did so with a hand on a kneeling player's shoulder. "We just wanted to come together and show unity," Harris said. "... It's always been personal, we just wanted to come together and show we're free, we're men who stand for something, not just football after this, we're fathers, husbands and just wanted to come and show our unity." Broncos coach Vance Joseph said he addressed the issue at a team meeting Saturday night and that the pregame protest was "their right." The Broncos who took a knee included some of the team's most high-profile players such as linebacker Von Miller and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, both of whom are team captains. Asked why he chose to take a knee, Miller said: "Just a list of current events that's happening the last couple days," Miller said. "Me and my teammates, we felt like, we felt like President Trump's speech was an assault on our most cherished right -- freedom of speech. So, collectively we felt like we had to do something before this game. At this moment in time, we felt like, as a team, we had to do something. I have a huge respect for the military and for the protective services -- I've been to Afghanistan, met real-life super heroes, it wasn't any disrespect to them, it was for my brothers that have been attacked for things that they do during the game and I felt like I had to join them on this one." The players collectively said after Sunday's game that they especially disagreed with President Trump's use of the phrase "son of a b----" to describe players who have protested before games. Players who chose to stand said they supported their teammates' right to take a knee.

"So many of those guys are positive agents of change in the community. I've seen it everywhere," quarterback Trevor Siemian said. "It's an honor to be their teammate." "We decided that's what we were going to do," said cornerback Aqib Talib, who took a knee for the anthem. "You have rights to believe what you believe. I wanted to support my teammates," running back Jamaal Charles said. Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe, who has previously expressed his support for President Trump, released a statement early Sunday that said he believes players should stand for the anthem but that freedom to express your beliefs was a right for everyone. After the game, Wolfe said he was "disappointed" in the way Trump "has been acting," and offered that players listen to each other's views in the locker room better than people outside of the league listen to each other. "Because we give each other a chance to speak and we listen to each other when we speak," Wolfe said. "Most people, whenever somebody's talking they already have an idea in their head of what they're saying, they're not listening to what's being said, they're thinking about what they want to take from it. ... We're allowed to feel any way we want to feel about any situation. ... We're human beings." Wolfe also expanded on his statement from earlier in the day with: "I come from poverty, for me it's not a black and white thing, it's a rich and poor thing," Wolfe wrote. "The social injustices are always toward the less fortunate, people who don't have money are the ones who are looked down upon because they're on government assistance. I was on government assistance my whole life, until I got drafted I was on food stamps. I had seven dollars when I got drafted, so I know what it's like to treat you different, like you're dumb, like you're uneducated. I know what that feels like. We get in debates all the time, they're healthy debates. These days people want to say your view is wrong, so you should die, basically. ... If you think that somebody is showing hate toward you, you fight it with love, you don't fight it with hate."

Derek Wolfe: Players' 'right' to protest but it's 'disrespectful' to military dead By Jeff Legwold ESPN September 25, 2017 Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe said Sunday he believes players should stand for the national anthem but that protests are a "right'' and "to each their own.'' Wolfe sent a statement to ESPN's Josina Anderson that outlined why he stands for the anthem and why he believes others should as well. But Wolfe also addressed those who have knelt or stood during the anthem and may in the future. Wolfe's statement comes after comments during a weekend rally in Alabama from President Donald Trump that players who refuse to stand for the national anthem should be "fired" by NFL owners. The comments have drawn widespread reaction from NFL owners and players as well as commissioner Roger Goodell and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Wolfe's statement: "I stand because I respect the men who died in real battles so I have the freedom to battle on the field. Paying tribute to the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom is why I stand. But everyone these days likes to find a reason to protest and that's their right. It's America and you are free to speak your mind. I just feel it's disrespectful to the ones who sacrificed their lives and it's the wrong platform. But like I said to each their own it's AMERICA! The greatest country in the world and if you don't think we are the greatest country in the world and you reside here, then why do you stay? A lot worse places in the world to call home. Proud to be an American.'' After the Broncos' 26-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Wolfe said, as a human being, "we're allowed to feel any way we want to feel about any situation" and that he's based his opinions on social injustices that he's experienced during his lifetime. "I come from poverty," Wolfe said. "For me, it's not a black and white thing; it's a rich and poor thing. The social injustices are always toward the less fortunate. People who don't have money are the ones who are looked down upon because they're on government assistance. "I was on government assistance my whole life, until I got drafted. I was on food stamps. I had $7 when I got drafted, so I know what it's like [for people] to treat you different, like you're dumb, like you're uneducated. I know what that feels like." Wolfe has previously said he supported people's right to protest, including when linebacker Brandon Marshall knelt during the national anthem before eight games last season in part to protest the use of force by police. Wolfe also has consistently said he personally believes everyone should stand for the anthem.

"With the violence that's going on, the protests that are going on, I think that people really need to just sit down and listen to each other," Wolfe said. "Just listen to what each other has to say and maybe we can come up with a plan that will make everybody happy. That's probably not going to happen, because it's impossible to make everybody happy."

Bills overcome bottled up McCoy to beat Broncos 26-16 By John Wawrow Associated Press September 25, 2017 Turns out, the Buffalo Bills can win without LeSean McCoy carrying the load. With McCoy bottled up for a second straight week, the Bills leaned on Tyrod Taylor's efficient passing attack and an opportunistic defense in a 26-16 win over the previously unbeaten Denver Broncos on Sunday. Taylor completed 20 of 26 for 213 yards and two touchdowns. The defense closed the victory by forcing the Broncos to turn over the ball on each of their final four possessions with two interceptions and two fourth-down stops. That's fine with the running back nicknamed "Shady," who was limited to 21 yards on 14 carries, while adding seven catches for 48 yards. "Hey, if we have to sacrifice the run game to get guys open downfield, if they want to stack the box, we've got to find other ways to win," McCoy said. "Tyrod responded in a major way. And if we have to win like that, I'd bet my last dollar on Tyrod. And I'm a betting man." Taylor was fortunate on his first touchdown pass, a 2-yarder that deflected off the hands of Zay Jones just inside the goal line, and ended up in Andre Holmes' hands in the back of the end zone. There was nothing faulty about his second touchdown, a 6-yarder to Charles Clay that put Buffalo up 20-16 with 6:20 left in the third quarter. Rolling to his right, Taylor, stopped and threw across his body to find Clay wide open in the end zone. The Bills (2-1) bounced back from a 9-3 loss at Carolina in which their offense was stuck in neutral with McCoy limited to a 9 yards rushing . Their defense finally generated turnovers, something it failed to do against the Panthers. E.J. Gaines and rookie Tre'Davious White each intercepted Trevor Siemian. Then there were Buffalo's two fourth-down stops. Deon Lacey tackled De'Angelo Henderson for a 1-yard gain when Denver attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-2 at its own 31 early in the fourth quarter. And the Broncos' final drive ended when Siemian underthrew a pass to Emmanuel Sanders with 1:47 remaining. In falling to 2-1, Denver looked nothing like the team that dominated in a 42-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys last week. "We didn't play the critical parts of the game well today," Broncos coach Vance Joseph said.

And the Broncos have some work to do on fake punts, including cornerback Lorenzo Doss scrambling on the field at the last moment. "We had a late sub on the field so we kind of gave them time to adjust," Joseph said. "It didn't work, but in my opinion, it was the perfect timing." The Bills capitalized on their next possession, with Stephen Hauschka hitting a 53-yard field goal to put Buffalo ahead 23-16. Then after White intercepted Siemian on the next Broncos drive, Hauschka sealed the win by hitting a 27-yard field goal with 3:14 remaining. Denver's points came on Jamaal Charles' 12-yard touchdown and Brandon McManus hitting three field goals. PSYCHE! Broncos linebacker Von Miller's attempt to pull a fast one on Taylor backfired. Offering his hand as if to help up Taylor, Miller then pulled it away at the last second right in front of an official. Miller was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct to extend Buffalo's final scoring drive. "I killed the game today with that penalty," Miller said. "I just have to be better than that and I will be better than that." ANTHEM PROTEST McCoy knelt, then sat and stretched during the anthem a day after he caused a stir by tweeting, "It's really sad man" and then used an obscenity to describe Trump. Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly joined the team on the field during the anthem and held up his left hand while holding a Bills cap. "As a president, you are supposed to lead," McCoy said. "I can't stand and support something where our leader of this country is acting like a jerk." More than half of the Broncos players, including Miller, safety Aqib Talib and receiver Demaryius Thomas, knelt on their side of the field. Fans began to boo as the Bills players walked in unison onto the field. They stopped booing once the anthem began. INACTIVES Broncos: Rookie starting left tackle Garett Bolles started a week after fearing he tore his left Achilles tendon. Tests, however, revealed he sustained a bruised bone and returned to practice on Thursday. Bills: Starting left tackle Cordy Glenn (right ankle) and DT Marcell Dareus (right ankle) were ruled out after being hurt in a 9-3 loss at Carolina last week. Third-round draft pick Dion Dawkins started in place of Glenn, while Cedric Thornton started for Dareus. UP NEXT

Broncos: Host Oakland Raiders next Sunday. Bills: At Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.

Bills' retooled secondary shines in 26-16 win over Broncos By John Wawrow Associated Press September 25, 2017 Whatever concerns there were about the Buffalo Bills completely retooled secondary have yet to materialize on the field. Three games into the season, the position group of newcomers — including rookie Tre'Davious White — stands second to none. They've yet to surrender a 260-yard passing outing or a touchdown passing following a two-interception performance in a 26-16 win over the Denver Broncos (2-1). Safety Micah Hyde believes they can be even better. "We made some mistakes today," said Hyde, a fifth-year player who was the Bills' prized free-agent offseason addition. "We gave up some big plays but at the same time, we will correct those and bounce back next week." Whatever miscues there were, it didn't affect the outcome in putting a blanket over a Trevor Siemian-led passing attack that features Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. Siemian finished 24 of 40 for 259 yards passing, and closed two of Denver's final four possessions with interceptions. Even the Broncos' plan to test White by targeting receivers he was covering backfired in the end. Down 23-16 and facing first-and-10 at Buffalo's 24, Siemian was under pressure when he threw a wobbling pass off his back foot intended for Bennie Fowler, which was easily picked off by White. "I wouldn't say they were picking on me," said White, Buffalo's first round pick out of LSU. "Every pass, I was pretty much there. I tried to have a good day." E.J. Gaines, acquired in a trade that sent star receiver Sammy Watkins to the Rams last month, had Buffalo's other interception. The Bills' defense as a whole is playing better under new coach Sean McDermott, who took over after Rex Ryan was fired in the final week of last season. One of Ryan's downfalls was an under-performing defense that finished 19th in the NFL in yards allowed in each of his two seasons. Buffalo (2-1) has allowed just two touchdowns rushing, including Jamaal Charles' 12-yard score on Sunday. Siemian complained of feeling out of synch, with Buffalo doing a good job of re-routing Denver's receivers.

"It felt like every pick got blocked today trying to get to the line," Siemian said. "We just never really got it." Some things to know from the Bills' win over the Broncos: FOUR-AND-OUT: The Bills also stopped the Broncos twice on fourth down. Deon Lacey tackled De'Angelo Henderson for a 1-yard gain when Denver attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-2 at its own 31 early in the fourth quarter. It didn't help that miscommunication led to Broncos cornerback Lorenzo Doss scrambling on the field at the last moment. "We had a late sub on the field so we kind of gave them time to adjust," coach Vance Joseph said. "It didn't work, but in my opinion, it was the perfect timing." Denver's final drive ended when Siemian underthrew a pass to Sanders with 1:47 remaining. BRONCOS RAVE ABOUT TAYLOR: Taylor left a lasting impression on the Broncos after going 20 of 26 for 213 yards, while adding 13 yards rushing. On a 2-yard gain, Taylor twirled out of three tackles before finally being hauled down. "He's definitely one of the hardest quarterbacks to take down," Miller said. "He's a great quarterback; he plays at a level that lifts his teammates." FIELD-GOAL FEST: Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw two touchdowns, with the rest of the scoring coming from the kickers. Stephen Hauschka hit all four attempts including 53- and 55-yarders to become Buffalo's first player to hit two from 53 yards or longer in the same game. Denver's Brandon McManus was 3 for 3, with his longest from 38 yards out. ANTHEM PROTEST: Bills linebacker and team captain Lorenzo Alexander was one of a handful of Buffalo players who knelt during the national anthem. He was directly protesting comments made by President Donald Trump on Friday in suggesting NFL owners fire players who protest the anthem. "He's our leader and that's not what you want to see out of the president's office. I always respect our authority, but at the same time, our authority needs to earn our respect," Alexander said. "Hopefully, he has an awakening, which I don't know is going to happen. But he needs to control his rhetoric a little bit better, I think."

Joke backfires on Von Miller in Broncos 26-16 loss to Bills By John Wawrow Associated Press September 25, 2017 The attempted joke backfired on linebacker Von Miller. Actually, very little went right for the rest of the Denver Broncos, too, in falling to 2-1 following a 26-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. It was Miller, however, who accepted the brunt of the blame after being flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct in helping the Bills extend their final scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. After stopping Buffalo on third-and-6 at Denver's 46, Miller offered his hand in what appeared to be an attempt to help up Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor. And then Miller pulled his hand away at the last second in front of an official, who immediately threw a flag. "I've got to be better than that. It hits you in the stomach," Miller said. "I just can't kill us. I killed the game today with that penalty. I've just got to be better than that." The Broncos could've been better in a variety of areas in looking nothing like the team that rolled to a 42-17 win over Dallas last weekend. Quarterback Trevor Siemian threw two interceptions to end two of Denver's final four drives. The other two ended when the Broncos turned the ball over on downs, including once on a fake punt in the final seconds of the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-2 at their 31, De'Angelo Henderson took the direct snap and was limited to a 1-yard gain after being tackled from behind by Deon Lacey. It didn't help that Broncos cornerback Lorenzo Doss was late in scrambling onto the field. "We had a late sub on the field so we kind of gave them time to adjust," coach Vance Joseph said. "It didn't work, but in my opinion, it was the perfect timing." The Bills capitalized on their next possession, with Stephen Hauschka hitting a 53-yard field goal to put Buffalo ahead 23-16. The Broncos defense did its part in holding LeSean McCoy to 21 yards on 14 carries and 48 yards on seven catches. Denver, however, couldn't contain Taylor, who went 20 of 26 for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Jamaal Charles scored Denver's lone touchdown on a 12-yard run, with Brandon McManus accounting for the rest of the scoring by making three field goals.

"I think we probably got panicked a little bit and didn't execute on some of the plays," Charles said. "Missed opportunities." Denver lost despite holding the edge over Buffalo in several categories, including 21-16 in first downs and 366-272 in yards of offense. The Broncos even limited the Bills to scoring two field goals on three Buffalo drives that began inside Denver's 35. "Yeah, the stats say we should have won," receiver Demaryius Thomas said. "With those turnovers, it's hard to beat anyone in this league." Miller had one of Denver's three sacks and was also in on six tackles. Miller and the Broncos also had an emotional start to the game, with more than half of their players taking a knee along the sideline during the national anthem. It was part of an NFL-wide protest in response to President Donald Trump suggesting owners should fire players who kneel during the anthem. "Me and my teammates, we felt like President Trump's speech was an assault on our most cherished right: freedom of speech," Miller said. "We felt like, as a team, we had to do something. We couldn't just let things go."

President's criticisms spark more protests at NFL games By Arnie Stapleton Associated Press September 25, 2017 President Donald Trump's criticism of players who kneel during the national anthem sparked angry protests around the National Football League Sunday, as about 200 players sat, knelt or raised their fists in defiance. A week ago, just six players protested. Most NFL players on Sunday locked arms with their teammates — some standing, others kneeling — in a show of solidarity. A handful of teams stayed off the field until after "The Star-Spangled Banner" to avoid the issue altogether. As he prepared to board Air Force One to return to Washington from New Jersey, Trump said the players protesting the anthem were "very disrespectful to our country" and called again on owners to stop what he considers unpatriotic displays in America's most popular sport. "This has nothing to do with race," Trump said. "This has to do with respect for our country." The president's attack on athletes turned the anthems — usually sung during commercials — into must-watch television shown live by the networks and Yahoo!, which streamed the game in London. In some NFL stadiums, crowds booed or yelled at players to stand. There was also some applause. The NFL and its players, often at odds, used Sunday's anthems to show unity. One of Trump's biggest supporters in the NFL, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, joined the chorus when he expressed "deep disappointment" with Trump. "I like Bob very much. He's my friend. He gave me a Super Bowl ring a month ago. So he's a good friend of mine and I want him to do what he wants to do," Trump said. "... We have great people representing our country, especially our soldiers our first responders and they should be treated with respect. "And when you get on your knee and you don't respect the American flag or the anthem." The protests started more than a year ago when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the anthem as a protest of police treatment of minorities. This season, no team has signed him, and some supporters believe NFL owners are avoiding him because of the controversy. A handful of white players didn't stand Sunday, but the vast majority of those actively protesting were black. Defensive star Von Miller was among the large group of Denver Broncos who took a knee in Buffalo Sunday, where Bills running back LeSean McCoy stretched during the anthem.

"We felt like President Trump's speech was an assault on our most cherished right, freedom of speech," said Miller, who normally steers clear of politics and social issues. Dozens of more players protested before the Raiders-Redskins game, the final one of the day and not far from the White House in Landover, Maryland. All but a handful of Raiders sat on their bench and seven Redskins took a knee while their teammates stood arm-in-arm along with owner Dan Snyder and president Bruce Allen. In Chicago, the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in the tunnel except for one player, Army veteran Alejandro Villanueva, who stood outside with a hand over his heart. Both the Seahawks and Titans stayed inside until after the national anthem was over in Nashville, a throwback to the pre-2009 NFL when teams, not the league, set pre-game policy regarding players standing on the sideline for the anthem. A handful of NFL players had been continuing Kaepernick's protest this season, but that ballooned Sunday following Trump's two-day weekend rant. It began with the president calling for NFL protesters to be fired and continued Saturday when he rescinded a White House invitation for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors over star Stephen Curry's criticism. The president's delving into the NFL protests started by Kaepernick brought new attention and angered many players who took one insult as a personal attack on their mothers. "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you'd say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired,'" Trump said to loud applause Friday night at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama. "I'm a son of a queen," Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett said. Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady was among the New England Patriots who locked arms in solidarity in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Aaron Rodgers did the same with his teammates in Green Bay. "Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!" Trump tweeted Sunday. In Detroit, anthem singer Rico Lavelle took a knee at the word "brave," lowering his head and raising his right fist. In Nashville, anthem singer Meghan Linsey, took a knee as she finished singing. Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson, whose brother, Woody, is the ambassador to England and one of Trump's most ardent supporters, called it "an honor and a privilege to stand arm-in-arm unified with our players during today's national anthem" in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The issue reverberated across the Atlantic, where about two dozen players took a knee during the playing of the U.S. anthem at Wembley Stadium. "We stand with our brothers," Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "They have the right and we knelt with them today. To protest, non-violent protest, is as American as it gets, so we knelt with them today to let them know that we're a unified front."

Jaguars owner Shad Khan and players on both teams who were not kneeling remained locked arm-in-arm throughout the playing of the anthem and "God Save The Queen." No players knelt during the British anthem. "Me taking a knee doesn't change the fact that I support our military, I'm a patriot and I love my country," Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said. "But I also recognize there are some social injustices in this country and today I wanted to take a knee in support of my brothers who have been doing it." Alexander said he'll go back to standing for the anthem next week. "I just wanted to show them that I was with them today, especially in the backdrop of our president making the comments about our players, about their mothers," Alexander said. "And then you put that in conjunction with how he tried to gray-area Nazism and KKK members as being fine people, I had to take a knee." The National Hockey League's reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins announced Sunday they've accepted a White House invitation from Trump. The Penguins said they respect the office of the president and "the long tradition of championship team visiting the White House." Before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals in Minneapolis on Sunday, the Los Angeles Sparks left the floor while the Minnesota Lynx stood arm-in-arm. The Sparks returned to a chorus of boos when the song was finished. Trump also mocked the league's crackdown on illegal hits, suggesting the league had softened because of its safety initiatives. Kahn, who was among the NFL owners who chipped in $1 million to the Trump inauguration committee, said he met with his team captains before kickoff in London "to express my support for them, all NFL players and the league following the divisive and contentious remarks made by President Trump." Among the strongest criticisms of the president Sunday was this from Saints coach Sean Payton: "I'm disappointed in the comments that were made. I think we need a little bit more wisdom in that office," he said of the White House. "I want that guy to be one of the smarter guys in the room and it seems like every time he's opening up his mouth it's something that is dividing our country and not pulling us together."

More than 200 NFL players sit or kneel during anthem By Staff Associated Press September 25, 2017 The Associated Press observed more than 200 players around the NFL kneeling or sitting during the national anthem on Sunday. The highest total was in Washington before the nationally televised night game, where nearly the entire Oakland Raiders team protested, in addition to six Redskins. No one sat or knelt at the Pittsburgh at Chicago game, although the Steelers stayed in the tunnel. In Tennessee, both the Titans and Seattle Seahawks remained inside through the anthem. Here's a breakdown at each game, as observed by AP reporters: — Oakland Raiders at Washington Redskins: Roughly 50 Raiders sat or kneeled, plus six Redskins. — Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts: About 24. — New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles: At least three (and three other players raising their fists). — Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills: About 35, including Bills RB LeSean McCoy and about half of the Broncos' roster. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings: At least two, including Bucs WRs Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson. — Houston Texans at New England Patriots: About 16. — Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers: At least 15. — Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: At least four, including Dolphins WR Kenny Stills and OT Laremy Tunsil. — New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers: About 12, including Saints RB Adrian Peterson. — Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions: About 10, including Lions RB Ameer Abdullah. — Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears: The Steelers stayed in the tunnel, although Army veteran Alejandro Villanueva stood outside the tunnel with his hand over his heart. — Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers: Three Packers and no Bengals. — Baltimore Ravens vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London: About 24, including Ravens LB Terrell Suggs and Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette. Total: 204

The amount of protests around the NFL ballooned this weekend in the wake of President Donald Trump's criticism of players who protest during the national anthem. Only four players were observed kneeling or sitting last weekend, and two others raised their fists.

Broncos' meek second half leads to ugly loss to Bills By Troy Renck KMGH September 25, 2017 At 12:08 p.m., the Broncos confirmed their arrival as the defense jogged down a tunnel at New Era Field, sidestepping the Penn State marching band and curious onlookers. There was not a light on the other end. Darkness fell on the Broncos' undefeated season, the first road game producing the season's first loss, Denver within a handshake of victory before watching it slip helplessly away to the Buffalo Bills, 26-16. In the fourth quarter, when outcomes in visiting parks are often determined, Von Miller made a play. His importance to the Broncos is unrivaled by anyone wearing orange. With the Broncos trailing 23-16 and desperately needing a lift, Miller barreled into the backfield. He knocked down quarterback Tyrod Taylor, ending the Bills drive and giving the Broncos a chance to tie. And then a gentleman's handshake turned into a head-shaking choke lock on the Broncos. Miller extended his hand to Taylor as the Broncos defense jogged off the field. As Taylor reached out -- the two are friends and Taylor was chatting up Miller during the game -- the star linebacker pulled back the offering. Both players laughed. The official did not. He called Miller for a personal foul in the most literal translation of the rule possible. It turned a caffeinated moment into a buzzkill. "I am always on the rookies and all the young guys about being smart and I go out there and make a stupid mistake in a crucial situation in the game. I have to be better than that. It hits you in the stomach," Miller said. "One thing about it, I always bounce back and learn from mistakes. But I killed the game." The Bills gorged minutes, then seconds, holding the ball for 16 plays and 53 yards. They siphoned 7 minutes and 30 seconds off before kicker Steven Hauschka booted his fourth field goal. The chip shot increased the Bills lead to 26-16 as Denver took over with 3:09 remaining. "We have to make turnovers if you are going to win on the road," cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. "We didn't make enough plays." It was certainly not enough time for an offense that spent the second half blending teasing potential with maddening mistakes, in particular, a head-shaking fake punt by De'Angelo Henderson. Trevor Siemian fired two interceptions, both ill-advised and unnecessary given the time and place on the field. The last proved fatal. He scrambled wide right under pressure and threw off his back foot. It became a gift to Tre'Davious White. The turnover set up Miller's overture gone horribly wrong. "Those two interceptions can't happen. The defense bailed us out once," said Siemian, who completed 24 of 40 passes but only nine after halftime with two picks. "You can't do that at home or on the road."

The game began like so many, but dramatically different. Denver started well as it has done so far this year. But the focus narrowed before the game. The majority of Broncos' players took a knee and locked arms as a response to President Trump's comments about his desire for NFL owners to "fire" players who protest the national anthem. "I would never call you a name for having different beliefs than me. We can all co-exist. As a sports team that's what we do best. We have guys from all different walks of life, different cities and upbringings, and we all co-exist," linebacker Brandon Marshall said. "We can all be in the same locker room with different beliefs and talk about it and not bash somebody for their beliefs." The Broncos entered Sunday with swag and confidence. They had never trailed this season. It symbolized a team that had played two home games and owned a more prolific offense. The Broncos jumped out to a 3-0 lead Sunday, continuing to distance themselves from last season's opening failures when they scored an NFL-worst 40 first quarter points. The Broncos drove 53 yards before fizzling on the 11th play. Brandon McManus, looking to shake out of a mini-slump, drilled a 38-yard field goal to shove the Broncos ahead with 49 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Under former Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, the Bills responded. Buffalo adjusted its protection after an opening drive sack by Miller. Taylor connected on a pair of 28-yard completions to Kaelin Clay and Andre Holmes, exposing vulnerabilities in the matchup zone. Taylor, mobile and athletic, succeeded in buying time. He completed the Bills' response with a 2-yard completion to Holmes, who shed the coverage of Bradley Roby in the back of the end zone. It represented the first time the Broncos had trailed this season. A reactionary attack last season, the Broncos looked to punch back rather than act as a punching bag. It took only three plays to reach the end zone, a drive fueled by silliness. C.J. Anderson burst off the right side behind mauler Ron Leary. He collected 32 yards, his longest run of the season, and added 15 more as an accessory thanks to a foolish late hit by safety Micah Hyde. Jerry Hughes, seemingly impressed with Hyde, collected a roughing the passer flag. Then came a sight as welcomed as it was unusual. Jamaal Charles, the longtime Kansas City star, scored his first touchdown as a Bronco, scampering 12 yards on an inside trap play. It provided Denver a 10-7 lead, but no advantage felt secure on a humid, muggy afternoon in western New York. Mistakes, so absent in the first two games, surfaced periodically. "We didn't play the critical parts of the game well today," Joseph said. "That's the bottom line." A penalty on punt coverage led to a 37-yard net loss, leading to a Hauschka field goal. And mental lapses and zone coverage contributed to the first of a pair of too-easy scoring marches. The Bills motored 38 yards in 41 seconds as Shady McCoy found soft spots right before halftime. The 13-13 intermission headlock benefited Buffalo. The Bills are a team seeking relevance. Keeping the Broncos close gave them a target to punch, exciting a rowdy crowd of 68,865 fans at New Era Field. Denver regained the lead on its first second half possession. But it felt hollow, a drive dissolving into a short McManus field goal of 28 yards. Field goals were incapable of winning this game based on Taylor's mobility. He played quarterback like a point guard, fooling the Broncos, especially safety Justin Simmons.

Blink, and they were in the end zone. It took four plays as the Bills navigated 69 yards. Taylor demonstrated the drive and dish to perfection, luring in the coverage before tossing to a wide open Charles Clay on a six-yard go-ahead score. The Bills held a four-point lead, creating a desperation and clumsiness not seen by the Broncos until Sunday. The fake handshake sealed the game. But, in truth, the Broncos never had never had a strong grip. "On the road, you turn it over, it's hard to win. They have great players on that defense," left tackle Garett Bolles said. "They were ready to play, We have to move on, and find a way to get better."

Broncos kneel, lock arms and raise fists following President Trump's remarks about 'firing' players By Troy Renck KMGH September 25, 2017 President Trump singled out NFL athletes on Friday, telling owners they should "fire" any player who kneels during the national anthem, while encouraging fans to walk out of stadiums. The NFL players responded with a clear message on Sunday, protesting through a variety of methods before their games. Only 19 Broncos players stood for the anthem before their game against the Buffalo Bills, according to Denver7's count. Multiple sources told Denver7 those kneeling were responding directly to Trump's remarks before an audience in Alabama on Friday. Among those protesting ahead of the game Sunday were star outside linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, who not only knelt but locked arms with inside linebacker Brandon Marshall. "It was his choice of words. I felt like he was pointing out a few guys. I felt like it was an attack on the National Football League, talking about ratings and all this other stuff," Miller said following the Broncos' 26-16 loss. "This my life. I love everything about the NFL. I try not to get into any politics and social issues and just play ball. But I felt like it was an attack." Added Marshall, who took a knee for eight games last season to promote awareness of social injustices, "It's hard because I am sure a lot of us took it personally. Some of the guys came and talked to me and said they were ready to do it. I think we all took it personally." Marshall told Denver7 he remains unsure if the protests will continue. This reaction was in direct response to Trump's words. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and defensive end DeMarcus Walker were also kneeling, and rookie left tackle Garrett Bolles was seen placing his left hand on Miller’s shoulder as he stood during the national anthem in a show of solidarity. Also kneeling were defensive end Adam Gotsis, nose tackle Domata Peko, cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. and wide receiver Cody Latimer. Among those standing during the national anthem were coaches Vance Joseph and Mike McCoy, placekicker Brandon McManus, quarterback Trevor Siemian and quarterback Brock Osweiler, as well as running back CJ Anderson and defensive end Derek Wolfe. Speaking to ESPN's Josina Anderson before the game on Sunday, Wolfe said he did not kneel "because I respect the men who died in real battles so I have the freedom to battle on the field." Wolfe added he respects everyone's rights to protest and to speak their mind, but feels "it's disrespectful to the ones who sacrificed their lives and it's the wrong platform." His full statement is below:

@JosinaAnderson NEW: Statement to me from #Broncos DE Derek Wolfe on Donald Trump's comments regarding national anthem protests in the @NFL. 7:03 AM - Sep 24, 2017 523 Replies 3,135 Retweets 6,707 likes After the game, Wolfe told Broncos Insider Troy Renck about his stance regarding the league-wide protests on Sunday. "We can all have our own opinions and it's still fine," he said. "You're allowed to have your own opinion. That's the point of being a human — is that you're allowed to feel and think the way that you want to feel and think. That's the great part about being a human being." NFL players — Broncos or otherwise— also held their fists up in the air. Outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett was seen with his fists up in the air. Receiver Emmanuel Sanders was among the most vocal on social media, saying he initially encouraged his relatives to give Trump's presidency a chance, but now he is "highly disappointed" in Trump and that his words were "intolerant and inhuman." Coach Vance Joseph addressed the team on Saturday night, telling the players the organization had their back. On Saturday night, CEO Joe Ellis issued a statement on the issue. By Sunday morning, 20 teams had made a statement. "Our players have shown a tremendous commitment to raising awareness for important societal issues by using their platform in a positive way. In addition to their hard work off the field, we have great admiration for their dedication to making our team the absolute best it can be. They've made incredible sacrifices to reach this level, and we recognize they give their all to our team and fans each and every day," Ellis said. "As an organization, we could not be more proud, appreciative and grateful for our players. We'll continue to support them and work together to advocate for values of respect, diversity and inclusion." Prior to Sunday's game, Wolfe told ESPN he would stand for the anthem, which he did, as a way of "paying tribute to the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom," while adding, “everyone these days likes to find a reason to protest and that’s their right.” Trump's comments trace back to last season when current free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in the preseason during the anthem to raise awareness for social injustice. Trump weighed in on the issue on Friday, triggering an emotional response by a large number of players. “(Kneeling) is a total disrespect of our heritage. That’s a total disrespect of everything that we stand for,” Trump told a rally Friday in Alabama, where he was campaigning for Republican Sen. Luther Strange. "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell answered, saying Trump's words demonstrated "a lack of respect for the NFL, our great game, and all of our players." Broncos offensive lineman Max Garcia, in response to Trump's remarks, tweeted Saturday, “where was this passion in response to Charlottesville.” Garcia was among the majority of Broncos players who took a knee during the anthem. As the games kicked off, Trump responded to the controversy via his Twitter account by standing his ground and saying in part, "kneeling is not acceptable." Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our Country. Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings! 12:20 PM - Sep 24, 2017 43,753 Replies 23,294 Retweets 110,073 likes Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump Courageous Patriots have fought and died for our great American Flag --- we MUST honor and respect it! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! 1:32 PM - Sep 24, 2017 50,408 Replies 43,318 Retweets 158,796 likes Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump Sports fans should never condone players that do not stand proud for their National Anthem or their Country. NFL should change policy! 4:25 PM - Sep 24, 2017 52,467 Replies 30,531 Retweets 126,798 likes

Broncos President Joe Ellis on kneeling protests: 'We could not be more proud for our players' By Oscar Contreras KMGH September 25, 2017 Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis is joining several higher-ups among the NFL in support for his players to kneel during the national anthem, after President Donald Trump said those who do so should be fired from their teams. "Our players have shown a tremendous commitment to raising awareness for important societal issues by using their platform in a positive way,” Ellis said in a statement sent to Denver7 Saturday evening. “In addition to their hard work off the field, we have great admiration for their dedication to making our team the absolute best it can be. They've made incredible sacrifices to reach this level, and we recognize they give their all to our team and fans each and every day. As an organization, we could not be more proud, appreciative and grateful for our players. We'll continue to support them and work together to advocate for values of respect, diversity and inclusion,” he said. Ellis joins New York Jets chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson, Seahawks President Peter McLoughlin, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, Philadelphia Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, New England Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, Chicago Bears chairman George H. McCaskey, Los Angeles Rams owner and chairman E. Stanley Kroenke, among others. GALLERY: Dozens of athletes kneel during the national anthem in defiance to Trump President Trump’s remarks, which created a league-wide backlash, came during a rally for Alabama Sen. Luther Strange. During the rally on Friday night, Trump remarked that if fans would "leave the stadium" when players kneel in protest during the national anthem, "I guarantee, things will stop." Trump also said NFL owners should respond to the players by saying, "Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he's fired. He's fired!" "For a week, (that owner would) be the most popular person in this country. Because that's a total disrespect of our heritage. That's a total disrespect for everything we stand for," Trump said. In response, NFL teams — including the Denver Broncos — kneeled, locked their arms and raised their fists in a show of unity against the president and his remarks. But the protests didn’t come as a result of Trump.

Last year, Colin Kaepernick – who was with the San Francisco 49ers, but who is currently without a team -- drew national media attention for refusing to stand during "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to kickoff, spurring both support and backlash from players and fans alike. At Friday's rally, Trump also took aim at NFL efforts to prevent concussions. "They're ruining the game, right?" he said. "They're ruining the game." The Saturday backlash came after Trump tweeted early in the morning that he would withdraw his invitation to invite two-time NBA MVP Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry to the White House after “hesitating” to make the champions’ trip to Washington, D.C. Curry said Friday he did not want to make such a visit. “By acting and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country and what is accepted and what we turn a blind eye to,” Curry said Friday at the Warriors’ media day. “It’s not just the act of not going. There are things you have to do on the back end to actually push that message into motion.”

Broncos fans react to feud between President Trump and the NFL By Eric Lupher KMGH September 25, 2017 The feud between President Trump and the NFL blew up over the weekend. During a rally in Alabama on Friday evening, the President bashed the NFL for allowing its players to kneel during the national anthem with no consequence. His comments created a firestorm of reaction on social media, and the Denver Broncos did not shy away from speaking their mind regarding the president's remarks. On Sunday, the controversy made it to the football field. Players for the Pittsburgh Steelers went so far as to not come on the field for the national anthem. Players on other teams across the league kneeled on the sidelines. Some Broncos players did the same thing in solidarity. GALLERY: Dozens of athletes kneel during the national anthem in defiance to Trump Denver7 went out to the streets to get fan reaction during Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. Mary Jane Conci watched the game from The Rock Restaurant & Bar in Aurora. She wasn't happy when she saw some of her favorite players kneeling. "It's very disappointing," said Conci. "They are disrespecting the flag." Conci also responded to President Trump's remarks at the Alabama rally. "His language was inappropriate. I understand his feelings against it but he could have had a better choice of words." Patty Baca was also at the bar watching the game. Although she's not a fan of President Trump, she sides with him on this issue. "Do I believe there is social injustice in this world? Absolutely. This is not the right venue for a protest though." The NFL has come out in strong support for its players and their right to free speech. The Broncos also released a statement supporting their players for "advocating for values of respect, diversity and inclusion."

Why it happened: Bills 26, Broncos 16 By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com September 25, 2017 Denver’s undefeated start came crashing down in a 26-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on Sunday. Denver outgained the Bills, averaged 1.2 more yards per play, had more first downs, averaged more than twice as many yards per carry (4.8 yards to 2.3) and still fell on a frustrating afternoon. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great team. But I feel like we’re not supposed to lose to that team,” defensive end Derek Wolfe said. “I feel like we’re supposed to come in here and we’re supposed to win that game.” Why did the Broncos lose? BECAUSE THE BRONCOS COULDN’T MAXIMIZE THEIR SCORING CHANCES After a slow start to the game with a pair of drives that ended in punts, the Broncos built some momentum in the middle third of the contest, marching into the red zone four times in a five-possession stretch that went from the first to the third quarter. But the Broncos came up with only 16 points of a possible 28 from those drives. Another march inside the Buffalo 25-yard line ended in an interception, leaving the Broncos with 16 of a possible 35 points on drives that entered scoring range. “To win a road game, you’ve got to be great in the red zone, great on turnovers, great on third downs, and those things, we didn’t do,” Head Coach Vance Joseph said. “We didn’t play the critical parts of the game well today, so we didn’t win the football game. Bottom line.” BECAUSE THEY LOST THE TURNOVER BATTLE Two second-half interceptions helped doom the Broncos’ hopes. “You can’t do that at home, much less on the road,” quarterback Trevor Siemiansaid. The first interception, which came when Siemian rolled left and threw into traffic looking for Bennie Fowler III, didn’t cost the Broncos anything, as the defense subsequently came up with a three-and-out that was aided by a Bills holding penalty on the first snap. “I thought [Fowler] was going in and ended up going out. But I'm responsible there,” Siemian said. “Every ball that goes in the air I'm responsible for. You can't do that back there and you can't turn it over anywhere, but backed up like that, you can't do that.”

The second interception was the game-changer. The Broncos were trailing, 23-16, but had momentum, having driven to the Buffalo 24-yard line after a series that saw a pair of passes to Demaryius Thomas and a 12-yard Jamaal Charles sprint. Siemian faced pressure from Eddie Yarbrough and looked to his right, throwing a pass that Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White intercepted. Buffalo capitalized, bleeding seven minutes, 30 seconds from the clock on the subsequent drive to a Steven Hauschka field goal. “It was a bend-but-don’t-break defense with a lot of shell coverage,” Joseph said. “[Siemian] is trying to make plays. I can’t fault him on that. We want him to be smart with the ball, but he has been smart with the ball and he has made those plays before.” BECAUSE OF COSTLY PENALTIES The Broncos finished the game with 10 penalties for 79 yards, both of which were season highs. Two flags in particular proved costly. With five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Cody Latimer sprinted downfield to blow up a Brandon Tate punt return. With De’Angelo Henderson providing an assist, Latimer and Henderson stopped Tate for an 8-yard loss, giving the Broncos a net of 58 yards on Riley Dixon’s punt, forcing the Bills to start their ensuing possession at their 31-yard line. Or so it seemed. Back upfield, a flag sat on the turf for an illegal-formation penalty, causing a do-over. Dixon’s 43-yard punt was returned 17 yards, giving the Bills possession at the Denver 32-yard line. The penalty was officially 5 yards, but the rekick gave the Bills an additional 37 yards of field position. It flipped the field, setting up a 49-yard Hauschka field goal —- which came after the defense forced the Buffalo offense off the field after three plays. Another penalty put the Broncos in a deficit from which they could not recover. With 7:38 remaining in regulation, the Broncos had the Bills stopped on downs at the Buffalo 46-yard-line, but outside linebacker Von Miller was called for a controversial unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. “I can’t put my team in situations like that,” Miller said. “I brought us home 50 million times. I closed games 50 million times. I’ve got to be smarter than that. I’m always on the rookies and on the young guys on being smart and doing this and doing that, and I go out there and I do something at a crucial situation in the game. I’ve just got to do better than that.” The flag resuscitated the Bills’ drive, allowing them to march to a 27-yard Hauschka field goal while draining an additional 4:24 off the clock. Denver was also forced to use all three of its timeouts on the series, which put the Broncos behind by 10 points. “I killed the game with that penalty,” Miller said.

Siemian Says: Turnovers made for missed opportunities vs. Bills By Ben Swanson DenverBroncos.com September 25, 2017 For Trevor Siemian, what hurt most about the Broncos' 26-16 loss to Buffalo wasn't just his two interceptions. It was also where they occurred. The first hurt because it set the Bills up on the Broncos 32-yard line with a great scoring opportunity, though the Broncos defense would prevent Buffalo from capitalizing. The second hurt because it halted a promising drive just 24 yards from the goal line. "You can't do that at home, much less on the road," Siemian said. "The two turnovers, they obviously hurt you. You never know what happens, but the defense bailed us out one time, but I felt good about getting points there if I don’t turn it over. So I've got to clean that up." With the Broncos trailing by only one score in each of those situations, Siemian said he and the offense left opportunities on the field. "I just felt like we had a couple opportunities to get some momentum," Siemian said. "A couple plays throughout the game, and we just never really got it going." All week, Siemian and the Broncos faced questions about the strength of Buffalo's defensive front, but it wasn't just that group of Bills defenders that came up big. "I always say it doesn't really matter what coverage you play when you have a good front and get pressure, but they did a great job mixing up looks, a lot of different things," Siemian said. "They started running some man coverage. When they played zone, they played it the right way; they knew where all their help was. And that front comes and gets you, so they're tough to deal with." The secondary added two picks to the front's three sacks, making for a difficult and disappointing day. "Obviously the turnovers hurt and you're kind of screwing your defense there," Siemian said. "So I'd like to do those back, but again, our defense bailed us out plenty of times. We just didn't get it done."

Broncos inactives vs. Buffalo Bills By Aric DiLalla DenverBroncos.com September 25, 2017 A week after being carted off the field against the Dallas Cowboys, rookie left tackle Garett Bolles was listed as active for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. Running back Devontae Booker, who is inching closer to a return from injury, was declared inactive when the Broncos released their list 90 minutes before kickoff. The list of inactive players follows below:

Defining Moments: Bills 26, Broncos 16 By Aric DiLalla DenverBroncos.com September 25, 2017 Fowler makes acrobatic play First, the defense did its job as the first quarter ticked away. Von Miller sacked Tyrod Taylor, and the Broncos held the Bills to a three-and-out. Then, Trevor Siemian and the offense took over. The five-minute, three-second drive covered 52 yards and gave the Broncos their first points of the day when Brandon McManus knocked in a 38-yard field goal. The highlight of the drive, though, came when Siemian found Bennie Fowler III down the left sideline. Despite having a defender draped all over him, Fowler got a hand on the 20-yard pass and reeled it in for one of the Broncos’ bigger gains of the afternoon. The points would follow a few plays later. Charles records his first score After the Bills scored the first touchdown of the game to take a 7-3 lead over the Broncos, the Denver offense went to work. Siemian started the drive with a 7-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders, but C.J. Anderson did most of the work. Anderson took a carry up the middle, cut to the outside and scampered for a 32-yard gain. Then, after he stepped out, Anderson was shoved by Bills safety Micah Hyde. That unnecessary roughness penalty gave the Broncos another 15 yards, and a roughing the passer call on the next play would push them even deeper into Buffalo territory. On first-and-10 from the Bills’ 12-yard line, Jamaal Charlesdid the rest. He ran up the gut, then broke away to the left to score his first touchdown with the Broncos. Harris holds Bills without field goal @ShelbyHarris93 = CLUTCH!#BeatTheBills pic.twitter.com/BEvQKDXxKD — Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 24, 2017 The Broncos weren’t able to get much going in the second half, but defensive lineman Shelby Harris made sure the Bills weren’t able to get points after a Siemian interception. On third-and-18 from the Broncos 40-yard line, Harris took down Taylor to ensure the Bills would wind up outside of field-goal range. -- The Broncos have other promotions here, in addition to following promotions available the day after the game: - Download the McDonald’s app for free Broncos gameday offers! Additionally, get a $1 Big Mac sandwich or Sausage McMuffin with Egg the day after every Broncos Game as well as 30 percent off any hat after every Broncos game at Denver Broncos Team Stores with the McDonald’s key tag.

Von Miller on late flag: 'Got to be better than that' By Aric DiLalla DenverBroncos.com September 25, 2017 With seven minutes and 43 seconds remaining in Sunday’s game against the Bills, it appeared the Broncos’ offense would get one final chance — down seven points — to put together a scoring drive. On third-and-six from the Denver 46-yard line, Tyrod Taylor dropped back to pass and targeted Jordan Matthews on the right side of the field. The pass was tipped, though, and Von Millerapplied a hit as Taylor let go of the ball. As the Broncos jogged off the field, Miller leaned down to offer Taylor a hand. And then he pulled the hand away in a joking fashion. There was no ill intent on Miller’s part. Both players were laughing, and it seemed to be nothing more than a moment of levity in an otherwise competitive game. That is, until the referee threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. The 15-yard penalty gave the Bills a first down, and they bled the clock down to just over three minutes before kicking a field goal to push the lead to 10. For all intents and purposes, it ended the Broncos’ chances. After the game, though, Miller refused to blame the referee for the situation. “I can’t put my team in a situation like that,” Miller said. “I’ve brought us home 50 million times. I’ve closed games 50 million times. I’ve got to be smarter than that. I’m always on the rookies and all the young guys on being smart and doing this and doing that, and I go out there and do something like that in a crucial situation in the game. I’ve just got to be better than that. “I haven’t been in [these] situations since my rookie season, but one thing about it [is], I’m always able to bounce back. I always learn from my mistakes. I just can’t kill us. I killed the game today with that penalty. I just have to be better than that, and I will be better than that.” Head Coach Vance Joseph said he didn’t see the play in question, but he said the referee “called it, so I guess that’s what he thought it was. It’s pro football, but he called it.” Miller said generally, he doesn’t even talk to the quarterbacks against whom he plays. But he knows Taylor, and the two had been joking throughout the game. On that play, though, he knows he needs to have better awareness. “On that play, I made a very, very crucial mistake at a vital point in the game,” Miller said. “I can’t do stuff like that, especially after a hit on the quarterback. I’ve got to help him up. I’ve got to be a better sportsman. I just can’t put our team in situations like that.”

Klee blog: Roughly half of Denver Broncos roster joins protests prior to game at Buffalo Bills By Paul Klee Colorado Springs Gazette September 25, 2017 Perhaps no NFL team embodies the expanding political divide in America more than the Denver Broncos. Balanced by a highly paid linebacker who was one of the first players to kneel during the national anthem and a front office with strong conservative leanings, some of the Broncos joined protests across the league in Week 3 on Sunday. Roughly half of the Broncos roster and half of the Bills roster kneeled during the national anthem at New Era Field. Star players Von Miller, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib were among those who took a knee. At least one of the Broncos players, offensive lineman Max Garcia, raised a fist into the air as the anthem concluded and a pair of fighter jets roared over the stadium during a flyover. The reaction to President Donald Trump's comments on the NFL could be witnessed across the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers elected to stay in the locker room during the national anthem, according to coach Mike Tomlin. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan locked arms with his players before a game in London. Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy wrote on Twitter: "Our president is "a ass****." most common replica jerseys seen in the tailgate lots outside New Era Field were retired greats Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas and, yes, LeSean McCoy, the current star. Broncos coach Vance Joseph addressed his team in regards to Trump's comments at the team hotel on Saturday. Joseph's message was to focus on the game and the team and avoid a divide in the locker room. That's consistent with the organization's approach that players are within their rights to protest, provided it doesn't take away from the team and their job. "Our players have shown a tremendous commitment to raising awareness for important societal issues by using their platform in a positive way," Broncos president Joe Ellis said in a team statement. "In addition to their hard work off the field, we have great admiration for their dedication to making our team the absolute best it can be. They've made incredible sacrifices to reach this level, and we recognize they give their all to our team and fans each and every day. "As an organization, we could not be more proud, appreciative and grateful for our players. We'll continue to support them and work together to advocate for values of respect, diversity and inclusion." It's not the first time the Broncos have been in the center of an ego-driven debate that has no end in sight. On one end of the defensive locker room, Derek Wolfe once wore with pride a "MAGA" (Make America Great Again) ballcap, even as Brandon Marshall, the aforementioned linebacker, has voiced his concern over perceived social injustices. Last year during the election cycle, star cornerback Aqib Talib

responded to Trump's take on "locker room talk" by saying the president was accurate in his description of the football workplace. "Trump may fit in if he came in here, who knows?" Talib said. Wolfe also released a statement, via ESPN, that contrasts the views of many of his NFL brethren. "I stand (for the national anthem) because I respect the men who died in real battle so I have the freedom to battle on the field. Paying tribute to the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom is why I stand," Wolfe told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "But everyone these days likes to find a reason to protest, and that's their right. It's America and you're free to speak your mind. I just feel it's disrespectful to the ones who sacrificed their lives and maybe it's the wrong platform. But like I said to each their own, it's America. The greatest country in the world, and if you don't think we are the greatest country in the world, and you reside here, then why do you stay? A lot worse places in the world to call home. Proud to be an American."

Paul Klee: NFL players succeed where Trump and Kaepernick failed By Paul Klee Colorado Springs Gazette September 25, 2017 The most impactful kneeling on Sunday occurred after the Buffalo Bills beat the Denver Broncos 26-16 at New Era Field. It happened at the 50, right in the middle. Funny place to meet, huh? Justin Simmons was at the center of the kneeling. He’s a second-year safety, a baby in NFL terms. Around him were 20 or 30 Broncos and Bills and players, huddled up like they want the same thing or something, even after 3 hours of smashing one another into the fake plastic turf. This kneeling, however, was productive, especially at this moment. “We were praying for our country,” Simmons told me afterward. At the combustible intersection of the NFL and politics on Sunday, I saw two shining examples of togetherness: in the postgame prayer and in the locker room. Everywhere else? Just a whole bunch of shouting fueled by ego. Thirty-two Broncos took a knee during the national anthem on Sunday. They ranged from superstars like Von Miller to young pros learning their way in the league, like Simmons. A gang of others elected to stand for the national anthem. They ranged from Derek Wolfe, a Super Bowl champion, to Garett Bolles, a rookie who stood as he placed a hand on Miller's shoulder. They all have differences of opinion. They all work together just fine. Perhaps the other kneeling — to protest the social injustices they perceive, police brutality that pales in comparison to crime numbers, and last, but definitely not least, President Trump’s unnecessary grandstanding — will make the United States a better place. But I haven’t seen it. Have you? That other kneeling — during the anthem, below the American flag — has accomplished nothing worth celebrating. All it’s done is further scatter Americans to the fox holes they chose before all the shouting started. And it’s awfully tough to have a productive chat when facts are twisted to fit an agenda and folks are more interested in kicking dirt in the other guy's face. “I come from poverty. For me, it’s not a black and white thing. It’s a rich and poor thing," Wolfe said. "The social injustices are toward the less fortunate. The people who don’t have money are the ones who are looked down upon, because they’re on government assistance. I was on government assistance my whole life until I got drafted. I was on food stamps. I had $7 when I got drafted." Why does a locker room work in unison while the outside world raises its voice?

“You know why? Because we give each other a chance to speak. And we listen to each other when we speak,” Wolfe told me. “Most people, whenever somebody’s talking, they already have an idea of what they’re saying. They’re not listening to what’s being said to them. They’re thinking about what they want to take from it.” In one corner of the Broncos locker room, massive defensive tackle Domata Peko pointed down a row of a lockers and said: “Look at the guys next to me right now. I’m from Samoa. Adam Gotsis is from Australia. Derek Wolfe — that guy right there — he’s from Youngstown. And it works. You know, man? It works.” One day after President Trump proclaimed at a campaign rally that NFL players who kneel during the anthem should be “fired,” coach Vance Joseph addressed the team on Saturday. Joseph's message aligned with the organization’s as a whole: Do you, but don’t let it interfere with the job. “It’s their right (to protest),” Joseph said after the Broncos lost their first road game of the season. “That wasn’t the reason we didn’t win the football game.” Quarterback Trevor Siemian added: “So many of these guys are positive agents for change in the community. I’ve seen it everywhere. It’s an honor to be their teammate.” Colin Kaepernick didn't help. By kneeling during the national anthem, a sacred moment to a lot of people, all he did was dig a deeper divide. If professional athletes who disagree with the president truly wanted their voice heard, they wouldn't hide from interviews and skip White House visits. Trump isn't helping. By referring to kneeling players as “sons of b****,” all he’s done is dig a deeper divide. If the president truly wanted to find a solution to the problems they perceive, he wouldn't resort to childish name-calling. Both are hypocrites of the highest order. At least they're consistent in that respect. Kaepernick empathized with Fidel Castro, so he must be cool with suppressing free speech. Trump advocates NFL teams cutting players who voice their political beliefs, so he must be cool with a longer, heavier hand for government. They’re both grandstanding for the real-world equivalent of Twitter likes. They’re both phonies. They’re both what we shouldn’t be. The most productive, effective display before an NFL game is a team that locks its arms together on the sideline. The point is made, the flag respected. Would that be so hard? On the surface, the NFL on Sunday looked like a divided entity. I saw the opposite. I saw a locker room united with black guys, white guys, all kinds of guys. I saw a postgame prayer united with black guys, white guys, all kinds of guys. “We took that as a time to pray. Right now I thought that’s the best thing we can do,” Simmons said. “It wasn’t a jab at America and those who fight for our country. I have war vets in my family, man. Honestly, it wasn’t a jab at Donald Trump. We used it as a time to reflect on what’s important.” I saw how America is supposed to work.

Paul Klee: NFL players succeed where Trump and Kaepernick failed By Paul Klee Colorado Springs Gazette September 25, 2017 This is an older, veteran team by now, one that’s had the key pieces in place for almost 40 games, give or take a Sunday afternoon or Monday night.

The Broncos have skins on the wall, as John Fox used to say.

That’s what made Denver's 26-16 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills so frustrating, perplexing and potentially damning to their playoff hopes. Youth can be no excuse for how the Broncos lost on Sunday. None of their game-altering mistakes was the result of overzealous effort, the kind you can live with. No, theirs were dumb mistakes, the kind that Super Bowl teams don’t make.

“I killed the game today with that penalty,” superstar linebacker Von Miller said with a voice full of regret after most of the 68,865 tickled-blue fans had left New Era Field.

You saw the penalty. The whole stadium saw the penalty. Was it the right call, to flag Vonnie Football for extending a hand to Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, only to pull it away in a move that was funny on the seventh-grade playground, but not so much when an NFL game is on the line?

No.

But the ridiculous flag only underscored the ridiculous way the Broncos lost to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 18 years, with little hope of snapping that streak this time around. Team captains like Miller can’t do that — not at that time, another time, any time.

“I can’t put my team in situations like that. I brought us homefield many times. I’ve closed games 50 million times. I’ve got to be smarter than that,” said Miller, whose 15-yard penalty for taunting gave Buffalo a first down just as the Broncos were set to get the ball back, trailing by only a touchdown with 7:43 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Oh, this loss wasn’t on Von. He took the blame — all of the blame, and that’s a captain’s move — but you can pin this one on team-wide dumb. It was on Trevor Siemian, too, after the quarterback, also a team captain, tossed a pair of head-scratching interceptions. Both were avoidable. Siemian won the starting quarterback job because he doesn’t do dumb things — not often, at least — and he knew going into the Broncos' first road game there was one thing they couldn’t do: turn the ball over. The Bills field a powerful defense that’s no joke, but an offense that opened with three consecutive three-and-outs and usually is only going to score when it's gifted a short field.

“He’s trying to make plays,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said of Siemian. “I’m not going to fault him for that.”

The Broncos also had 10 penalties. They also had a dropped pass by Emmanuel Sanders that negated a long gain. They also had a failed fake punt attempt deep in their half of the field. They also had, well, you get the point.

Roughly half of the Broncos and Bills rosters kneeled during the national anthem in protest. Multiple players on the Broncos sideline raised a fist as a military flyover sent a deafening boom through the "Bills Mafia" tailgating scene that's just as rowdy as advertised.

"I support those guys 100 percent," Siemian said. "They know that I have their back. They have every right to do what they're doing."

Then the game started, and Denver doubled down on dumb.

Hey, it happens. Look around the NFL and there’s no juggernaut, no one running away with a No. 1 seed and 15 wins, no one who’s immune to dumb decisions. The Patriots escaped the lowly Texans by three in Foxboro. The Packers escaped the Bengals in overtime at Lambeau Field. The Steelers lost to Fox and the Bears in Chicago. True parity has taken over the NFL.

But what is concerning — and this is worth noting, if things go south — is how these Broncos, after being together for so long, don’t handle adversity particularly well. Without the Mile High crowd noise that serves as their Popeye’s spinach, the Broncos are nothing special. They’ve lost three straight road games, dating back to last season, and haven’t played a complete road game since a 20-point win at Tampa Bay in Week 4 of last year, a long time ago.

"Our defense bailed us out plenty of times," Siemian said.

The core players and the identity of these Broncos have been in place since the Super Bowl 50 season, in 2015. That's just under 40 games ago. They've proven to be a team of extremes — awesome or awful, depending on the color of their mood ring — which makes any ending to this season possible. They run hot and cold like a faulty water faucet. Former wide receiver Wes Welker once said that rival teams view the Broncos as frontrunners. Until the Broncos smack some home team the way they smack teams in the friendly confines of Mile High, it's an accurate description.

"We were on a roll and we knew it," Sanders said. "You can't do that on the road. Mistakes after mistakes, they'll cost you ballgames."

Rapid Reaction: Bumbling Trevor Siemian and goofy call by confused ref doom the Broncos to defeat By David Ramsey Colorado Springs Gazette September 25, 2017 What happened to the team we knew? The Broncos looked magnificent last week while utterly dominating the (allegedly) mighty Cowboys. The same team bumbled to defeat in Buffalo. The Broncos will be stumbling into next week’s game against the invading Raiders, always the mangiest team in the NFL. The AFC West is mighty this season, and the Broncos never looked mighty on Sunday. What happened? Here are two reasons why the Broncos lost to the Bills: One – Trevor Siemian’s errant arm Let’s get this straight: Siemian has often been sensational this season. He was dominating against the Cowboys. He returned to mediocrity against the Bills. His fourth quarter interception toss to Tre Davis ranks as the worst throw of the decade by a Bronco quarterback, and maybe the worst throw of the 21st century. I heard from a young Bronco fan who said it was worst throw in franchise history. That fan never saw Steve Tensi throw a football for the Broncos. (Tensi's career completion percentage: 42.8. There's bad. And then there's Tensi bad.) Siemian’s last throw offered a brief summary of his dreadful afternoon in Western New York. Emmanuel Sanders was open, and the Broncos still had a slight chance at victory. Siemian’s throw was short. Siemian's touch was off. His decisions were off. A bad day for No. 13. He’ll have to better – much better – for the Broncos to return to the playoffs. Two – An official with no sense of humor, or judgement Midway through the fourth quarter, Von Miller hurried Bills QB Tyrod Taylor into an incompletion. Then, in a brief and harmless attempt at humor, Miller faked an offer to help Taylor to his feet. This was Von being Von. This was absolutely no big deal. You could see, clearly, that Taylor got the joke.

Malice? None. Ref Carl Cheffers did not get the joke. He flagged Miller for unsportsmanlike conduct, allowing the Bills to drive to a vital field goal. Siemian’s second interception was really bad. It was not as bad as Cheffers’ call. One of the all-time bad NFL calls.

Von Miller's 'handiwork' included one very costly penalty for Broncos By Leo Roth USA Today September 25, 2017 It was a good-natured act of one-upmanship. And had it occurred on a playground somewhere in America, Von Miller and Tyrod Taylor would have shared a good laugh. Actually, they did share a laugh but in the end, only Taylor was smiling. With under eight minutes to play in Sunday’s showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos at New Era Field, Miller, Denver’s star pass-rusher, forced an incompletion on third down near midfield and landed on top of the Bills quarterback. Extending a hand to help Taylor up, Miller pulled his hand away leaving Taylor hanging. The two friends chuckled over Miller’s old-school "too slow'' prank played by teen-age boys everywhere and your silly uncle Morty. The referee didn’t see it that way, flagging Miller for unsportsmanlike conduct. The 15-yard penalty allowed the Bills to run off 10 more plays and burn more than four more minutes of clock, leading to Stephen Hauschka’s fourth field goal of the game and a two-score lead of 26-16. More critically, Denver was forced to burn all of its timeouts, essentially ending any chance it had of coming back to win. All on account of Miller’s ill-timed “dis.’’ “I just wasn’t thinking,’’ said Miller, who finished with six tackles, a sack, two QB hits and two tackles for loss. “I don’t even do anything with quarterbacks but I know Tyrod and we were kind of laughing and joking through the whole game. On that play, I just made a very crucial mistake at a vital time.’’ In other words, the joke was on him. “Me and Von came out the same year (in the draft) and we’re good friends and we were laughing on the field,’’ Taylor said. “I honestly didn’t know it was going to be a flag. Like I said, we were laughing (about it). It ended up working in our favor. I guess a bad play by him at the time, pretty sure he wishes he could have that back.’’ Taylor, on the strength of a nice second half, finished with 213 yards passing and two touchdowns in completing a career-best 76.9 percent of his throws (20 of 26) and recording his third-best QB rating (126.0). He shook off calls for his benching in a big way. “He’s a great quarterback, one that lifts up his teammates,’’ Miller said.

If only Miller had left his hand out to actually lift Taylor up. “I was shocked,’’ Miller said of the flag. “I’ve got to be a better sportsman and not put our team in a situation like that.’’ It also wouldn't hurt if the NFL — No Fun League — lightened up.

Trump's rhetoric forces NFL teams to take stand as owners, players unite By Jarrett Bell USA Today September 25, 2017 They stood in a single line, side by side, their arms locked for unity in a dramatic demonstration during the national anthem. These were the Los Angeles Chargers and until Sunday — with no Michael Bennetts or Colin Kaepernicks in their midst — they barely registered a blip on the NFL Protest Meter. But things have changed, thanks to the incendiary bashing from an intolerant Donald Trump — who called protesting players “sons of b------” and urged NFL owners to fire those who demonstrate during the anthem — at a campaign rally in Alabama on Friday night. And now the low-key Chargers are like virtually every other team in the NFL, pressed to take a stand — or a knee, in some cases — as a statement for society. Talk about reigniting a movement. “There’s no doubt that President Trump has definitely changed the dynamic,” Dean Spanos, the Chargers’ chairman of the board, told USA TODAY Sports during a pregame interview. “How it all shakes out, I really don’t know. We’ll all wait and see.” This much for sure: Thanks to Trump, the NFL served up some history on Sunday, with the unpredictable games presented with a nod to the movement occurring with demonstrations all across the league — beginning with prayers and mass kneel-downs before the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars played in London — as the ultimate in-your-face gesture to Trump. “It’s a pivotal time in our society,” Chargers tackle Russell Okung told USA TODAY Sports in a near-empty locker room at StubHub Center, after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Bolts 24-10. “It’s the first time that our generation has been faced with this political pressure, especially in sports.” The old “stick to sports” suggestion no longer applies. The rhetoric from Trump fueled discussions within the teams and dominated the NFL pregame television shows Sunday. Afterward, when most players spoke publicly for the first time since Trump's speech, the topic buzzed — as you’d expect. Consider the response from Alex Smith, when asked about Trump’s criticism. “I find that very alarming,” said the Chiefs quarterback. “This is the same guy who couldn’t condemn violent neo-Nazis, but he’s condemning guys that are taking a knee during the national anthem.” Okung, meanwhile, believes Trump’s comments were intended as a distraction.

“What’s happening with Russia?” Okung asked. “He’s using Southern Strategy. He was in Alabama, right? That is Reagan at its finest. This has happened before. It’s a distraction in a way that he is shifting attention away from issues he really needs to be focused on.” That Spanos joined his team on the sideline for the anthem, locking arms with players, illustrated another type of statement as owners and executives for several teams supported players in the protests that began last year, when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick tried to raise awareness of racial inequalities in the nation and the slayings of unarmed African-Americans by police. That’s huge. And unprecedented optics in a league with its fair share of acrimony between management and players flowing from labor issues. But Trump essentially “punked” the owners — several of whom combined to donate millions of dollars to his campaign and inauguration festivities — right along with the players when he urged supporters to stop attending games and mocked NFL efforts to make football safer. It’s no wonder that while players tweeted reactions on Saturday, team owners across the league defended players and their game with a blitz of statements. “It’s hard not to be emotional,” Spanos said. “I respect every one of our players, and it’s important that they know I have their back side. I want to be there for them. Everybody has the right of expression. That’s why this country’s so great. I may not agree with what some want to do and some may not agree with things I want to do, but I want to stand united with our team.” While the Chargers opted for a unified team demonstration, following internal discussions Saturday night, the Chiefs rolled with demonstrations of their own. They demonstrated individually — and at least 15 conducted some form of a gesture. Before Sunday, cornerback Marcus Peters was the only Kansas City player to protest this season (as he did last season), with a fist raised as he sat on the bench during the anthem. “I got tired of seeing him standing there by himself, while doing it for a good cause,” Chiefs running back Charcandrick West told USA TODAY Sports. “So I figured I’m going to stand behind my brother. I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks.” As Peters sat on the bench Sunday, other Chiefs (including West) either went to a knee, raised a fist or took a seat. Others stood traditionally, at full attention with their hands over their hearts. Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston bowed his head in prayer. “People complain about kneeling, people complain about standing,” Houston said. “We’re not changing anything. I feel like prayer changes everything. So I was praying that we come together as one, instead of being separate. You’ve got guys kneeling. What are we kneeling for? Praying is power.” During the first two weeks of the season, the anthem protests that became a theme last season had largely faded, like a fad, with probably no more than a dozen players league-wide engaging in demonstrations. Yet suddenly, protests are a much more widely accepted part of the NFL fabric — even while the quarterback who ignited the anthem protests more than a year ago, Kaepernick, is still unemployed as apparent punishment for being such a lightning rod.

"This is not about disrespecting the flag,” Spanos said. Indeed. After Kaepernick began his protests, he was widely ridiculed for the perception that his gesture was a slight at the U.S. military and the American flag that it defends. As much as Kaepernick tried to explain his purpose, his message was lost with so many who misinterpreted his actions. Maybe now there will be more clarity.

Monday Morning QB: Response to President Trump Made Roger Goodell ‘Proud of Our League’ By Peter King MMQB September 25, 2017 On Sunday evening, the 48 Hours That Roiled the NFL were almost over. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sat monitoring the second half of the late-window games in the NFL’s officiating command center. He took a short break to consider what happened on what one owner told me was the strangest weekend he’d seen in his tenure in the league. “The way we reacted today, and this weekend, made me proud,” Goodell said. “I’m proud of our league.” Think of what happened. President Donald Trump was bashing the league that spurned him again late Friday night. In a speech in Alabama, the president ripped the NFL both for being too punitive on big hits and for owners not firing the next player who didn’t stand for the anthem. “Get that son of a bitch off the field right now!” Trump said, railing to an empathetic crowd. “Out. He’s fired. He’s FIRED!!” But really, think of what happened. The previous weekend, in the 16 games in the NFL, fewer than 10 players, total, either sat or raised a fist during anthems across the league. The organized protests were being replaced by meetings between a cadre of increasingly socially conscious players and league and team officials. Then the Alabama speech happened, and players—white and black—and owners and union officials and the commissioner, got angry. On Saturday, one coach whose team hadn’t done any protesting of note before this weekend said his players “felt like the president put them in a corner—and they had to do something or it’d look like the president made them back down.” So Trump actually was the divider-in-chief this weekend. In two-plus minutes of a speech pumping up the candidacy of an Alabama Republican senate candidate, the president of the United States detoured to cursing at grown men who would choose to protest silently before football games. How would you guess strong and principled men would respond to anyone, never mind the president, calling them SOBs? In a week, five or eight protesters became in excess of 250. Three full teams—Pittsburgh (other than Army veteran Alejandro Villanueva), Seattle and Tennessee—boycotted the anthem Sunday, and other groups either knelt or sat. “He [Trump] attacked our brothers, my brothers, and me,” said Carolina veteran Julius Peppers, who stayed in the locker room during the anthem before the Saints-Panthers game. More than that, it seemed Trump got players so angry that these protests are likely to continue well into this season. Early Monday morning, after Washington’s victory over Oakland in the Sunday night game, cornerback Josh Norman went on an emotional run. He described watching the Trump comments, being stunned by the cheering in the crowd and he said: “Am I American? Am I here ... for the land of the free and the home of the brave? Am I really free? … This right here is NOT acceptable. I’m kinda getting choked up right now.” Trump was at it again Sunday, while protests—players either demonstrating or locking arms in solidarity on the sidelines—happened at 14 NFL games from London to Los Angeles. He tweeted about “boring

games” on a day when five of them in the early window came down to the last minute. Last second, in one case. Trump’s buddy Tom Brady, battered by a consistent Texans rush, threw his fifth touchdown of the day with 23 seconds left to beat the Texans 36-33. The Bears won on a walkoff overtime 19-yard run by Jordan Howard. Newbie Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett eked out a three-point win when Cleveland’s DeShone Kizer threw an interception on the last play of the game. Detroit lost by four to Atlanta when a last-second attempted touchdown dive by the Lions’ Golden Tate fell about 10 inches short. And a Philadelphia rookie kicker playing his second NFL game kicked a 61-yard field goal at the gun to beat the Giants by three. But it was a weird day for the game, and a weird weekend for teams. Seattle was in Nashville on Saturday preparing to play one of the league’s rising teams, the Titans. And the Seahawks, instead of either resting or focusing on the game, spent about four-and-a-half hours Saturday discussing what to do Sunday—and then even more time on it before the game. The Steelers debated what to do at length Saturday before playing the Bears. How much did that have to do with the Seahawks and Steelers losing Sunday? Maybe nothing. We’ll never know. Goodell wouldn’t say how he personally felt when he first heard the Trump remarks early Saturday. But someone who spoke to him this weekend said Goodell had “profound disappointment” over the comments. He’d gone to Philadelphia on Sept. 12 to meet with some leaders of a players’ group working on social causes such as criminal-justice reform and police-community relations. Anthem protesting was down, and a source said the league was considering what further steps to take in response to the players’ request for the league to be more involved with social causes. Goodell told me Sunday night: “I spent a lot of time listening to our players and coaches and owners over the past two days. They really care about our league. I just think we need more understanding. I was trying to find out with the players and coaches, ‘How are you feeling? What’s going on in your locker rooms?’ They were trying to figure out ways to respond.” He would not disclose any of the players or coaches. Sunday’s demonstrations, Goodell said, did not surprise him. “They reflected the frustration, the disappointment, of the players over the divisive rhetoric we heard [from Trump],” he said. Asked what the league could do now about the festering problems between the president and the country’s most popular game, Goodell said: “I think we have to be focused on what the NFL is doing—staying true to our values, unifying people and continuing an effort to understand and help improve our communities. People love coming together around football. We saw nothing but exciting football today. I think the public loves our game and recognizes the efforts we’re making with it.” “Aren’t you bothered that the president might be on a crusade against your league?” I asked. “No,” Goodell said. “We live in an imperfect society. A public discourse makes us strong.” As of Sunday night, at least 22 of the league’s 32 owners issued statements on Trump’s comments, or spoke about them. Four of the seven men (Woody Johnson of the Jets, Dallas’ Jerry Jones, Stan Kroenke of the Rams, and Tampa Bay’s Edward Glazer) who donated to Trump following the 2016 election did not comment over the weekend. Johnson, Jones, Kroenke and Glazer gave a total of $3.25 million toward the cost of Trump’s inauguration.

Many of the statements were formulaic and respectful, with only a few rapping Trump with more than a ruler on the knuckles. John Mara and Steve Tisch, co-chairs of the Giants, called the comments “inappropriate, offensive and divisive.” But imagine how Robert Kraft of the Patriots felt formulating his statement. I was told Kraft was watching Trump’s speech Friday night while working out after returning to Massachusetts from a business trip, and he was immediately upset. Kraft issued his statement Sunday morning. It read, in part: “I am deeply disappointed by the tone of the comments made by the President on Friday … There is no greater unifier in this country than sports, and unfortunately, nothing more divisive than politics.” Over the years, Trump, who at one point of his life was a huge football fan (and may still be), became friendly with Kraft and with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Trump played golf with Brady. Trump watched games from Kraft’s box. I remember meeting Trump before a Patriots game in Foxboro when he was walking the sidelines with Kraft. Kraft’s relationship with Trump was such that when Kraft’s wife, Myra, died on July 20, 2011, Trump and wife Melania were not only in attendance at the services, but also among the first to arrive. After the funeral, Trump and Melania sat shiva with the Krafts at the their house in suburban Brookline, Mass. (Shiva is a one-week mourning time during which families grieve with relatives and close friends at the family home.) For weeks thereafter, Trump was one of a small circle of friends who would call Kraft weekly to see how he was doing without Myra. Trump ascending to the presidency hasn’t dulled the relationship—at least until this weekend. Soon after his inauguration, Trump invited Kraft to dinner with the Japanese prime minister at Trump’s winter home in Florida. Then, Kraft gave Trump a genuine Super Bowl ring, the same as his players got after the scintillating 34-28 comeback win over Atlanta last February. Kraft has gotten to know his players throughout his years as the owner, taking groups of Patriots to Israel and on trips to Boston’s inner city, including one session with the Boston police chief. Kraft has formed lasting bonds with many of those players, black and white. He has to be thinking, It’s one thing to urge players to stand respectfully for the national anthem. But who’s that guy calling them SOBs if they don’t? That wasn’t the guy who sat shiva with me when my wife died. So now where does the league go from here? The players may continue to poke the bear, and union executive director DeMaurice Smith could too; his defiant tone in his statement made it clear the players wouldn’t back down to Trump. But it’s unlikely you’ll see Goodell engage much with Trump’s warring words. It’s not the commissioner’s style. And Trump? I wouldn’t expect him to go quietly into the Washington night. In 2014, he was outbid by the Pegulas for the Bills and used Twitter to tell Buffalo what he really thought. “Even though I refused to pay a ridiculous price for the Buffalo Bills, I would have produced a winner,” Trump said in October 2014, in a flurry of tweets. “Now that won’t happen.” Sound familiar?

Broncos DE Derek Wolfe Questions Player Anthem Protests By Scooby Axson MMQB September 25, 2017 Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe took issue with fellow NFL players who decided to protest and kneel during the playing of the national anthem, asking why they live in America if they have an issue with this country. Dozens of NFL players have knelt and not stood during the playing of the anthem, including almost two dozen Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens players before their Sunday game in London. Wolfe made his statement to ESPN's Josina Anderson. "I stand because I respect the men who died in real so I have the freedom to battle on the field. Paying tribute to the men and women is why I stand. But everyone these days likes to find a reason to protest and that's their right. It's America and you are free to speak your mind," Wolfe said. "I just feel it's disrespectful to the ones who sacrificed their lives and it's maybe the wrong platform. But like I said to each their own it's AMERICA! The greatest country in the world and you reside here, then why do you stay. A lot worse places in the world to call home. Proud to be an American." Many NFL players and team executives ripped President Trump for his comments calling for teams to fire players who protest the national anthem.

LOOK: Von Miller got called for the worst unsportsmanlike conduct penalty ever By Jared Dubin CBS Sports September 25, 2017 Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 of the NFL rulebook covers unsportsmanlike conduct. It is defined as follows: There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct. This applies to any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship. Such acts specifically include, among others: (a) Throwing a punch, or a forearm, or kicking at an opponent even though no contact is made. (b) The use of abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures to opponents, teammates, officials, or representatives of the League. The rulebook also lists several other unacceptable acts covered by unsportsmanlike conduct like taunting, contacting a game official, removal of helmet, disconcerting, lingering, hide out, leverage, leaping, goal tending, and freezing the kicker. I mention this because Denver Broncos pass-rusher Von Miller was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct near the end of the Broncos' Week 3 game against the Bills for pulling the "too slow" move on Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and I'm not entirely sure which part of the unsportsmanlike conduct rule covers "too slow." That move cost the Broncos 15 yards and, eventually, three points. (The Bills' drive ended with a field goal to push their lead to 26-16.) This seems like an utterly ridiculous penalty to begin with, but it's even more so considering both Miller and Taylor were laughing throughout the exchange. Afterward, Miller admitted it was not smart move on his part -- shouldering the blame for loss because of his lapse in judgment. "I killed the game today with that penalty," Miller said. "I just have to be better than that and I will be better than that." It seems like a pretty safe bet that we'll be hearing about this from the Broncos after the game.

Broncos' Von Miller: 'I killed the game with that penalty' By Kevin Patra NFL.com September 25, 2017 The Denver Broncos forced a Buffalo Bills punt and were set to get the ball back down seven points with more than seven minutes remaining. Then a flag flew from the referee's pocket. Von Miller had driven quarterback Tyrod Taylor to the ground on an incomplete pass. The pass-rusher reached out his hand to offer Taylor assistance up, before putting it away in a joking fashion and laughing. Miller was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving the Bills' drive new life. Ten plays later, Buffalo kicked a field goal with 3:14 left to go up 10 points. The Broncos only got the ball once more in desperation mode before ultimately falling, 26-16. "I can't put my team in a situation like that," Miller said of the penalty, via the team's official website. "I've brought us home 50 million times. I've closed games 50 million times. I've got to be smarter than that. I'm always on the rookies and all the young guys on being smart and doing this and doing that, and I go out there and do something like that in a crucial situation in the game. I've just got to be better than that. "I haven't been in [these] situations since my rookie season, but one thing about it [is], I'm always able to bounce back. I always learn from my mistakes. I just can't kill us. I killed the game today with that penalty. I just have to be better than that, and I will be better than that." The flag was a surprise to both players, who at the moment were laughing at Miller's 'too slow' gag. "I know Tyrod ... I don't even talk to quarterbacks. I don't do anything with quarterbacks,'' Miller said. "But Tyrod, we were laughing and joking the whole game, and on that play I just made a very, very crucial mistake at a vital point in the game ... I've got to be a better sportsman, and I just can't put my team in that situation.'' Added Taylor: "Yeah, me and Von came out the same year. Good friends. We were actually laughing on the field. I don't think he knew. I honestly didn't know at the time it was going to be a flag. Like I said, we were laughing. But [it] ended up working out in our favor, so just a bad play by him at the time. Pretty sure he wishes he could have that back, but got to move forward." Broncos coach Vance Joseph said he didn't see the aftermath of the play, but said referee Carl Cheffers "called it, so I guess that's what he thought it was. It's pro football, but he called it."

Several Broncos players kneel for national anthem By Joe Dahlke FOX 31 September 25, 2017 Several Broncos took a knee for the national anthem on Sunday after comments from President Donald Trump over the weekend. The Broncos who kneeled included Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. Miller was arm-in-arm with Brandon Marshall, who took a knee for several games last season. Other players stood but also showed their support. Kicker Brandon McManus had his hand on the shoulder of guard Max Garcia, who kneeled. Others, such as Virgil Green, stood with their fists raised. Coach Vance Joseph stood for the anthem. Several members of the Bills also took a knee for the anthem.

These are the NFL players protesting today amid Trump criticism By Elliot C. McLaughlin CNN September 25, 2017 Rather than taking a knee, most NFL players opted for a show of unity Sunday, locking arms ahead of their games amid criticism from President Trump who slammed players opting to protest during the national anthem. Still, plenty opted to kneel during "The Star-Spangled Banner," with the Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans among the stars following the lead of former pro quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who pioneered the anthem protests last year over what he was said was social and racial injustice. Kaepernick, who has sat and knelt during the anthem, has said he refused to honor a song or "show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." He also referenced the shootings of black men by police as one of reasons for his stance. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way," he told NFL Media. "There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." Ahead of a Sunday morning game in London and afternoon games, players from several teams, including the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins, took knees during the anthem. With the exception of one player, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't even take the field until the anthem was over. The Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans also chose not to take the field for the national anthem. In Sunday morning tweets, Trump renewed his criticism of the protests, slamming the league's ratings and saying players should be fired or suspended for such protests. On Saturday, he called for NFL owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who "disrespects our flag." "What you just saw was a variety of responses with the theme of unity," an NFL front office source told CNN. "All across the league, owners, coaches and players came together to decide what was best for them." The source added, "If Trump thought he could divide the NFL, he was wrong." Following Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoffs, Trump tweeted that he approved of players locking arms, saying it represented "great solidarity" for the country. Here's who's been taking a stand Sunday: Washington Redskins vs. Oakland Raiders Member of the Washington Redskins stand arm-in-arm during national anthem before a game against the Oakland Raiders.

Redskins players, including quarterback Kirk Cousins and defensive back Josh Norman, and owner Dan Snyder stood arm-in-arm. Several Redskins also knelt. Across FedEx Field, a number of Raiders sat with their arms locked before the prime time game. "Football has always served as the great unifier, bringing people together to celebrate the values of courage, commitment and achievement," the Redskins said. NBC's Michele Tafoya said the Raiders head coach, Jack Del Rio, told her the team wanted to stay in the locker room during the anthem but couldn't. The team would have forfeited the coin toss and be in danger of a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, she said. Tafoya said 12-year veteran Vernon Davis, a tight end with the Redskins, said he would visit the White House if he was invited, and he would tell the President that "we love the flag. Let's focus on solutions rather than attack those protesting." Cincinnati Bengals vs. Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers players, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, stand with arms locked during the national anthem before their game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rogers and Bengals starting quarterback Andy Dalton were among the players on both teams who stood and locked their arms on their sidelines. Three Packers players also sat during the national anthem. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers Members off the Los Angeles Chargers lock arms in protest before a football game against the Kansas City Chiefs. A number of Chargers players stood with their arms interlocked and others sat. Some Chiefs players knelt, including linebacker Justin Houston who knelt towards the players bench "I believe in honoring the American flag and supporting all of those who sacrifices protect the many freedoms we have in this country, including the right to have differences of opinion," Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement. Seattle Seahawks vs. Tennessee Titans An empty Tennessee Titans bench during the national anthem for their game with the Seahawks. The Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans remained in their locker rooms during the national anthem. "The players jointly decided this was the best course of action. Our commitment to the military and our community is resolute and the absence of our team for the national anthem shouldn't be misconstrued as unpatriotic," the Titans organization said in a statement. The Seahawks said the team made the decision together.

"We will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country. Out of love for our country and in honor of the sacrifices made on our behalf, we unite to oppose those that would deny our most basic freedoms," the Seahawks players said in the statement. Titans cheerleaders were seen standing on the sidelines with hands over their hearts, like many fans in the stands. Meghan Linsey, a Nashville singer and runner-up on NBC's The Voice," sang the national anthem. On the last note, Linsey and her guitarist took a knee. Cleveland Browns vs. Indianapolis Colts Cleveland Browns players take a knee and join arms during a game against the Indianapolis Colts. Several Browns players locked arms. Some stood, while others knelt on the sideline. Colts players were also locked arm-in-arm while they stood or took a knee. New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints players sit on the bench during the national anthem before a game against the Carolina Panthers. Several Saints players sat on the bench or knelt while others stood. Panthers starting quarterback Cam Newton and his teammates stood during the anthem. There was swift reaction to the actions of some Saints players. A restaurant in Chalmette, Louisiana, near New Orleans, refused to show the Saints game on television. "Some of our local players chose to sit during the National Anthem, which will not be supported or praised at WOW," WOW Cafe & Wingery of St. Bernard wrote on its Facebook page. Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills Denver Broncos Von Miller, left, and Brandon Marshall take a knee during the anthem before their game. Five-time Pro Bowl selection Von Miller was among several Broncos players who knelt, while Garett Bolles and Virgil Green stood with their fists in the air. Multiple Buffalo Bills players stood with their arms around each other, while some players knelt with their arms interlocked. Some of those who stood held the shoulders of other players. Bills running back LeSean McCoy stretched during the national anthem, according to local media reports. "I can't stand and support something where our leader of this country is ... acting like a jerk, angry and upset about NFL players protesting in a peaceful manner," McCoy said after the game, CNN affiliate WKBW reported.

New England Patriots Members of the New England Patriots kneel before a game against the Houston Texans. While most players from both teams, Tom Brady among them, opted to lock arms, more than a dozen Patriots -- including running back James White, wide receiver Brandin Cooks and Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore -- took knees. In the owner's suite above them, Patriots owner Robert Kraft stood with his hand over his heart. Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets Wide receiver Jarvis Landry stands among his kneeling Dolphins teammates Sunday. Jets head coach Todd Bowles and Dolphins owner Steve Ross both joined their teams, arms interlocked, before Sunday's AFC East showdown. On the Dolphins sideline, wide receiver Jarvis Landry stood during the anthem but locked arms with safety Maurice Smith and tight end Julius Thomas, both of whom knelt. Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie joins his players for the national anthem. As Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins tweeted before the game, Philadelphia players locked their arms in unity. As a retired African-American serviceman, Petty Officer 1st Class Generald Wilson, belted out the anthem, Eagles CEO Jeff Lurie joined the team, locking arms with Jenkins on the sideline. Linebacker Mychal Kendricks opted not to join his team and stood off to the side during the anthem. "Having spoken with our players, I can attest to the great respect they have for the national anthem and all it represents," Lurie wrote. "We ... firmly believe that in this difficult time of division and conflict, it is more important than ever for football to be a great unifier." Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions Rico LaVelle closed out the national anthem on one knee Sunday. Team owners Arthur Blank of the Falcons and Martha Firestone Ford of the Lions joined their teams on the sidelines, locking arms with their players. Starting running back Ameer Abdullah was among at least eight LIons players taking a knee during the anthem. Detroit singer Rico Lavelle closed out his rendition of the anthem by taking a knee and holding his microphone aloft in his fist. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Minnesota Vikings Wide receivers DeSean Jackson, forefront, and Mike Evans take a knee before Sunday's game.

While both teams locked arms along the sidelines, Buccaneers star wide receiver Mike Evans and his counterpart DeSean Jackson knelt with their hands over their hearts. Coach Dirk Kover stood with his hand over his heart. The crowd applauded once "The Star-Spangled Banner" concluded. Pittsburgh Steelers Steeler and ex-Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva stands outside the tunnel during the national anthem. As coach Mike Tomlin promised, the Steelers didn't take the field for the national anthem. But offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva, a former captain in the Army and ex-Ranger who did three tours in Afghanistan, stood in the tunnel, hand over heart, as the anthem played. Tomlin had said before the game his squad would remain in the locker room. Baltimore Ravens vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Retired Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, in a sportcoat, joined his former team during Sunday's protest. Six-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ Suggs was atop the list of Ravens players taking a knee before the game in London. Alongside him was retired Ravens legend Lewis, who locked arms with wide receiver Mike Wallace and linebacker C.J. Mosley. Other coaches and players locked arms during the anthem. At least a dozen Jaguars took knees during the anthem, including defensive standouts Calais Campbell and Jalen Ramsey, as well as their No. 4 draft pick, running back Leonard Fournette. Team owner Shad Khan joined his players in protest Sunday. The majority of players locked arms, as did the coaching staff and Pakistani-American team owner Shad Khan, who said in a statement that he met with team captains prior to the game to express his support. "Our team and the National Football League reflects our nation, with diversity coming in many forms -- race, faith, our views and our goals," he said. "We have a lot of work to do, and we can do it, but the comments by the President make it harder. That's why it was important for us, and personally for me, to show the world that even if we may differ at times, we can and should be united in the effort to become better as people and a nation." CNN's Darran Simon, Quand Thomas and Brian Stelter contributed to this report.

Broncos’ Derek Wolfe says he stands during anthem for ‘the men who died in real battle’ By Cindy Boren Washington Post September 25, 2017 Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe explained Sunday that he will not be kneeling during the national anthem because “paying tribute to the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom is why I stand.” Wolfe, in comments to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, added, “Everyone these days likes to find a reason to protest and that’s their right.” Protesters in the league have pointed out that they kneel or sit to raise awareness of social injustice and police brutality and that they support the military, but Wolfe, 27, spoke of those who serve in the military. “I stand because I respect the men who died in real battle so I have the freedom to battle on the field. Paying tribute to the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom is why I stand. But everyone these days likes to find a reason to protest and that’s their right. “It’s America and you are free to speak your mind. I just feel it’s disrespectful to the ones who sacrificed their lives and it’s maybe the wrong platform. “But like I said, to each their own. It’s AMERICA! The greatest country in the world and if you don’t think we are the greatest country in the world and you reside here, then why do you stay? A lot worse places in the world to call home. Proud to be an American.”

Week Three early inactives By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk September 25, 2017 Sunday’s action got off to an early start with the Jaguars and Ravens squaring off in London and the next wave of games will kick off at 1 p.m. ET. We’ll have all of the inactives from those games right here, so check back to see the full list as it becomes available 90 minutes ahead of kickoff. Broncos at Bills Broncos: CB Brendan Langley, QB Paxton Lynch, RB Devontae Booker, OL Billy Turner, DL Ahtyba Rubin, WR Jordan Taylor, DL Kyle Peko Bills: T Cordy Glenn, DT Marcell Dareus, DT Jerel Worthy, G Vladimir Ducasse, RB Joe Banyard, TE Khari Lee, DT Deandre Coleman Saints at Panthers Saints: T Terron Armstead, CB Marshon Lattimore, T Zach Strief, CB Sterling Moore, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad, WR Austin Carr, QB Taysom Hill Panthers: C Ryan Kalil, LB Jeremy Cash, RB Cameron Artis-Payne, DE Daeshon Hall, T John Theus, QB Brad Kaaya, CB Ladarius Gunter Steelers at Bears Steelers: LB T.J. Watt, T Marcus Gilbert, QB Joshua Dobbs, WR Justin Hunter, CB Brian Allen, DL Stephon Tuitt, T Jerald Hawkins Bears: LB Nick Kwiatkoski, G Josh Sitton RB Taquan Mizzell, S Deon Bush, QB Mark Sanchez, TE Daniel Brown, DL John Jenkins Falcons at Lions Falcons: LB Vic Beasley, T Ryan Schraeder, DL Courtney Upshaw, RB Terron Ward, WR Nick Williams, LB Jermaine Grace, G Sean Harlow Lions: LB Jarrad Davis, RB Dwayne Washington, S Tavon Wilson, RB Tion Green, C Travis Swanson, G Joe Dahl, CB Teez Tabor Browns at Colts Browns: LB Jamie Collins, DE Myles Garrett, WR Sammie Coates, QB Cody Kessler, OL Marcus Martin, OL Zach Banner, DL T.Y. McGill

Colts: QB Andrew Luck, C Ryan Kelly, RB Marlon Mack, WR Chester Rogers, LB Anthony Walker, CB Quincy Wilson, CB Vontae Davis Buccaneers at Vikings Buccaneers: LB Kwon Alexander, TE Antony Auclair, DT Chris Baker, CB Brent Grimes, C Joe Hawley, DE Jacquies Smith, T Leonard Wester Vikings: QB Sam Bradford, WR Rodney Adams, G Danny Isidora, T Aviante Collins, DE Tashawn Bower, DT Jaleel Johnson, WR Stacy Coley Texans at Patriots Texans: G Jeff Allen, CB Kevin Johnson, WR Will Fuller, WR Andy Jones, RB Alfred Blue, T Jah Reid, DE Carlos Watkins Patriots: RB Rex Burkhead, LB Dont'a Hightower, CB Eric Rowe, T Marcus Cannon, LB Harvey Langi, WR Matthew Slater, OL Cole Croston Dolphins at Jets Dolphins: LB Rey Maualuga, CB Cordrea Tankersley, CB Torry McTyer, G Isaac Asiata, T Eric Smith, T Sam Young, DT Jordan Phillips Jets: G Brian Winters, TE Eric Tomlinson, QB Christian Hackenberg, WR Chad Hansen, CB Derrick Jones, S Rontez Miles, TE Jordan Leggett Giants at Eagles Giants: LB B.J. Goodson, T Bobby Hart, LB J.T. Thomas, RB Wayne Gallman, TE Matt LaCosse, QB Davis Webb, DE Avery Moss Eagles: CB Ronald Darby, S Corey Graham, DB Jaylen Watkins, DT Destiny Vareo, WR Shelton Gibson, S Rodney McLeod, DE Steven Means

Bills improve to 2-1, by beating the Broncos 26-16 By Darin Gantt Pro Football Talk September 25, 2017 There’s nothing flashy about the Bills offense. And that’s just fine with them. The Bills smothered the Broncos to improve to 2-1 with a 26-16 win at home. The Bills picked off Trevor Siemian twice, sacked him three times and kept the clamps on the Broncos, despite being outgained 366-272. But though they gave up yards, they forced the Broncos into field goals when need be, which was the difference. And while they were doing it, quarterback Tyrod Taylor had a quietly effective day. He was 20-of-26 for 213 yards and two touchdowns, after a disastrous day in a Week Two loss at Carolina. But the Bills have the ability to keep games close and grind away at teams, and that’s enough for them to cover up the lack of style points.

Von Miller: I killed the game with unsportsmanlike conduct penalty By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk September 25, 2017 The Broncos appeared set to get the ball back down seven points with just under eight minutes to play in Sunday’s game against the Bills when a penalty flag changed the scenario. Linebacker Von Miller was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on a third down incompletion after he initially put his hand out to Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor and then pulled it back in a move familiar to elementary school students everywhere. The Bills went on to kick a field goal after holding the ball for more than four minutes and won the game 26-16 Broncos coach Vance Joseph didn’t seem to like the call — “It’s pro football, but he called it” — but Miller castigated himself for not doing the smart thing. “I can’t put my team in situations like that,” Miller said, via ESPN.com. “… I’ve got to be smarter than that. I’m always on the rookies and the young guys about being smart, doing this, doing that. And in a crucial situation in the game — I’ve just got to be better than that … I killed the game today with that play. I’ve just got to be better than that.” Miller said that he and Taylor were “laughing and joking” the entire game, something Taylor confirmed along with answering “both” when asked if he was laughing because what Miller did was funny or because of the outcome.

Derek Wolfe: If you don’t think America is greatest country, why do you stay? By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk September 25, 2017 NFL players were active on social media on Saturday in response to President Donald Trump urging NFL teams to fire any “son of a bitch” who kneels during the playing of the national anthem and they were uniformly negative about the President’s point of view. Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe issued a statement via Josina Anderson of ESPN on Sunday that read quite a bit differently. Wolfe didn’t say that any players who protest, as his teammate Brandon Marshall did last season, should be fired but he did express his feeling that it is disrespectful and wondered why those who don’t believe the United States of America is the greatest country in the world would stay here. “I stand because I respect the men who died in real battle so I have the freedom to battle on the field. Paying tribute to the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom is why I stand. But everyone these days likes to find a reason to protest and that’s their right. It’s America and you are free to speak your mind. I just feel it’s disrespectful to the ones who sacrificed their lived and it’s maybe the wrong platform. But like I said to each their own it’s AMERICA! The greatest country in the world and if you don’t think we are the greatest country in the world and you reside here, then why do you stay? A lot worse places in the world to call home. Proud to be an American.”

Tyrod Taylor was laughing at Von Miller’s “unsportsmanlike” act By Darin Gantt Pro Football Talk September 25, 2017 Tyrod Taylor was all smiles yesterday — and not just because the embattled Bills quarterback was excellent in a win over one of the league’s top defenses. Taylor also laughed off Von Miller‘s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the fake handshake/too slow move, which both players seemed to enjoy in the moment. “Me and Von came out the same year [in the draft] and we’re good friends and we were laughing on the field,’’ Taylor said, via Leo Roth of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “I honestly didn’t know it was going to be a flag. Like I said, we were laughing (about it). It ended up working in our favor. I guess a bad play by him at the time, pretty sure he wishes he could have that back.’’ The penalty cost the Broncos 15 yards, and the Bills were able to extend their drive for 10 more plays and burn four minutes from the clock, capping the drive with a field goal which pushed their margin to 10. It was part of a strong day for Taylor, who came under fire during the preseason, leading some to wonder if he was about to be benched for rookie Nathan Peterman. Sunday, he had a career-high completion percentage (76.9, 20-of-26) for 213 yards and two touchdowns, for a 126.0 passer rating which was the third-best number in his career. And, more importantly, he got the win to go with the last laugh.

Broncos, Lions, Packers, Seahawks offer support for players speaking out By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk September 25, 2017 A number of NFL teams and owners have offered statements this weekend in response to President Donald Trump’s calls for them to fire players who protest during the national anthem. Some of the statements have taken direct issue with the President’s comments, including one from Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy. Murphy said it is “unfortunate” that President Trump chose to make “divisive and offensive statements about our players and the NFL.” “We believe it is important to support any of our players who choose to peacefully express themselves with the hope of change for good. As Americans, we are fortunate to be able to speak openly and freely.” Some other teams avoided direct criticism of the President’s comments while echoing Murphy’s comments about supporting their players when they speak out. “As an organization, we could not be more proud, appreciative and grateful for our players. We’ll continue to support them and work together to advocate for values of respect, diversity and inclusion,” Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement complimenting their “tremendous commitment to raising awareness for important societal issues by using their platform in a positive way.” “We fully support our players’ use of their freedom of speech and peaceful action to highlight the existing racial and other divides in our country. Our players completely respect the military and veterans of our country; however, they believe these issues need to come to the forefront,” Seahawks president Peter McLoughlin said. “Our game has long provided a powerful platform for dialogue and positive change in many communities throughout our nation,” Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford said. “Thanks primarily to our players, the NFL also has been a unifying force in our country and impactful change has and hopefully will continue to be the result of peaceful expression, done so in order to highlight social injustices of all kind. Negative and disrespectful comments suggesting otherwise are contrary to the founding principles of our country, and we do not support those comments or opinions.”